


Requests and Prompts

by NightShadow1607



Series: My au's [8]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Magic, Clay | Dream and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Deity Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Demon Deals, Demonic Possession, Doppelganger, Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Exile, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Good Friend Darryl Noveschosch, Hunters & Hunting, Hurt Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Immortal Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Nightmare - freeform - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poisoning, Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Sad Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Sick Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Time Loop, Time Travelling Karl Jacobs, Toby Smith | Tubbo Angst, Toby Smith | Tubbo Has Horns, Toby Smith | Tubbo Needs a Hug, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Winged TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 80,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28725447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightShadow1607/pseuds/NightShadow1607
Summary: The title is is very explanatory.Basically, My brain doesn't work (no thoughts, head empty), I'm in a creative block and I want to write something, a painful irony in my opinion.So if you want me to write a little chapter with your prompt, write it on the comments.There are some rules in the first chapter.:)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Karl Jacobs, Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Sam | Awesamdude & TommyInnit
Series: My au's [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088660
Comments: 872
Kudos: 1360





	1. I don't make the rules (actually, I do)

Hi!

It's me again, and the synopsis already explains.

But if you, for some reason, ignored the index, I will write again.

I'm bored and out of ideas, but I want to write something, so I thought I'd ask you for any story requests involving the Dream SMP people, the usual.

Some rules:

**What I can and feel comfortable writing:**

-Fluffy

-Angst

-Hurt with or without comfort

-Violence (they are always at war, it would be very strange if it didn't have it here)

-Platonic relationships and families

-Death

-Au's

-Prompts based in musics

_The list will grow depending on the requests._

**What I can't and don't feel comfortable writing:**

-Ships*

-Ships with minors (just making it clear)

-Rape

-Smut

-Hate directed at the characters or cc's (content creator)

_* Unless it is an implicit thing, and only if the people involved are comfortable_

_The list will grow depending on the requests._

My preferences:

-Dream centric

-Tubbo and Tommy friendship

-Sleepy Bois Inc as a family

-Tubbo and Dream as siblings

-Dream is/was possessed

_I will write about other characters too! Don't worry!_

_The list will grow depending on the requests._

How to apply:

Write in the comments, detailing important parts and how you want things to work. You can digress as much as you like, I like it when you write about what you like: 3

As much as I wanted to write, unfortunately I'm also a human being, so I don't know if I'll post it on the same day, but I'll try to be as quick as possible.

Tell me if you liked the way I wrote it.

For now, there will be no chapter limits for each prompt, but if it gets out of hand, I'll put one.

Don't be shy! I don't mind the requests.

People who already requested before can request it again.

I think that's it, anything I'll edit the rules later.

Also the tags will be add according with each request.

See you around.

:)


	2. Both sides of the same coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'A demon and an admin make a deal'
> 
> After being possessed by a chaotic demon, Dream makes a deal with Nightmare to use a body like his and he would be in the dark as long as he didn't hurt his friends.
> 
> Dream barely knows that Nightmare has gone too far, and Tommy comes up with news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The request is by @CatsandCocoa
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!

"That's enough! Nightmare, you're going too far!" Dream's scream echoed in the empty forest.

"Aw, come on Dreamie... you loved it when Tommy got that dizzy look in the lava" a voice whispered in his mind

"No! No! You're going too far! He could have died if I hadn't taken control back!"

"He deserved it!" Nightmare hissed "He's always getting into trouble and wars! I wonder why the server hasn't been destroyed"

"He is a child!" Dream screamed, even though the demon was inside him

"He's one of my favorite toys, you know?" if he had a physical body, he would probably be smiling "Besides you, of course"

Dream closed his eyes and was quiet, thinking about how to keep everyone safe and Nightmare away from them. For a moment, he felt the control almost slip through his fingers before he opened his eyes.

"Nightmare, stop" he felt the demon turn his attention back to the host "I want to make a deal"

"I'm listening..." he hummed and the hunter sighed.

"Stop messing with my friends and I'll let you stay in control"

Nightmare was silent.

"Elaborate"

Dream sighed

"I will create a body like mine, I will give you a part of my powers. You will have a puppet of your own, without having to share. In return, you leave Tommy and everyone else alone"

"Hmm .. how do I know this isn't a plan to exorcise me?"

"I..." Dream hesitated "I can stay away, just choose the place. Just give your word that you will bring the boy back and not hurt anyone, you will be able to interact as if he wer ... human"

"Ok... I understood your warning the first time, Dream" Nightmare was silent until his voice became softer "You have my word... admin"

"Well..." Dream got up and opened the server's settings panel, the lines of code filled his view "So let's get started"

* * *

Apparently, Dream lost count of the days when it gave the second week.

Now it was just empty days, staring at the dark wall and waiting for his' I 'to entertain others' misfortune and leave, leaving Dream alone to face the wall again until he fell asleep.

The cell was cold and like a light source being a weak torch above his bed, it was made of obsidian and with a locked door, it also had a single book that was able for Dream to know each sentence by heart, reciting from back to front .

In short, it was horrible, but he thought it was better that way than someone else getting hurt.

Nightmare found it amusing to see Dream's expressions increasingly lost with each visit.

* * *

Tommy never wanted to kill anyone in his life so badly.

But that moment came when he and Tubbo were getting deeper into the forest around Snowchester and the two found the green sweatshirt in the middle of the trees.

Tubbo barely managed to catch him when Tommy tried to go after the hunter.

"We are two against one!" he whispered-shouted, trying to get rid of Tubbo's grip

"Two of us against an expert, Tommy!" Tubbo sighed, staring at the man on the other side of the path, who was looking at a holographic panel oblivious the two children "If we know what he's up to, we can defeat him more easily"

Tommy was still stiff, but he stopped trying to resist, Tubbo released him and peered out from behind a bush.

The two boys saw the greenish man put his mask on and turn off the holographic screen, walking in the opposite direction again, Tommy and Tubbo looked at each other and followed him silently.

They followed the trail for a few minutes, until Dream stopped and the two hid tense. Dream opened the screen again, now in front of a stone structure, his eyes roamed around until he received a message, he sighed and murmured something about 'checking out the pet' and disappeared, using his administrator powers.

Tommy ran to where he was and stamped his foot on the floor.

'Damn it! We had him for very little! "Tommy ground his teeth and began a series of loud curses as Tubbo analyzed the stone structure.

"Tommy?"

"I knew that green little shit used the admin powers!" Tommy kicked a pebble, not hearing his friend.

"Tommy!" Tubbo screamed and Tommy turned, annoyed

"What?"

"Help me with the lever!" the brunette pointed to a lever built into the side of the structure. Tommy changed his expression from angry to curious, and approached his friend.

"What is this going to do?" the two put their hands on the rod

"I don't know, but Dream has an interest in that. Maybe it's important, isn't it?" Tubbo said and Tommy nodded, the two used as much force as they could and pulled the lever.

A small tremor made them both tense and became defensive, a small trapdoor was opened in the snow and the teenagers peered into the opening.

There was only a small source of light coming from a room and a narrow corridor.

"Do we get in?"

"Fuck it" Tommy grunted and lowered the trapdoor, Tubbo sighed and went downstairs, closing the passage.

The two went down the small side staircase and found total darkness except for a dim light coming from a gap at the end of the corridor, Tommy raised a torch he had in his inventory and went ahead, with the brunette following behind.

It wasn't much of a surprise when they found a locked door, but it was disappointing nonetheless.

"Wait, do you have a clip?"

"Why would I have a clip?" the blonde stared at his friend, skeptical

"Just give it to me, do you want to find out what Dream has here or not?" Tommy scoffed and took a clip from his pocket and handed it to Tubbo, who knelt in the lock on the door and tried to break it open.

"How do you know how to do that?"

"Uh... Fundy taught me some tricks while we were working for Schlatt" Tubbo was still fully focused, until a soft click of the lock being unlocked echoing down the hall, he smiled proudly and Tommy put his hand on the lock.

"Ready?" he nodded and Tommy took a deep breath, opening the door.

They didn't expect to find someone else inside.

The stranger took his eyes off the wall and was startled, jumping to his feet, the boys drew their swords and the older blond stepped back.

"Tommy? Tubbo?"

It was Dream's voice.

"What the fuck?!" Tommy screamed, his eyes widening and Tubbo lowered his sword.

"Dream?! But... but... but he left minutes ago"

"What the fuck is that?!"

"Tommy, please stop screaming" the supposed 'Dream' sighed, covering his ears.

"Stop screaming? We found that there are two Dream! Now we have two threats?"

"Two threats? What are you--" He was suddenly quiet, silence engulfing the room, Tommy thought about breaking it when everyone heard footsteps across the hall, coming down the stairs.

Dream opened his eyes wide and opened a holographic screen, typing an unknown code before activating it. Tommy turned to look at Tubbo, only to find that he was looking at an empty space.

"Don't make any noise, you two. I'll explain as soon as he leaves"

The door opened just as Dream closed the screen, revealing a Dream in a sweatshirt and mask like the two children knew.

Tommy and Tubbo's eyes widened

"Good morning, Dreamie... looks excited, standing up after so long"

"Nightmare... it has been a long time since you visited me" Dream sat on the bed "How are things?"

"The usual, everyone being happy and blah, blah, blah, nothing wrong has happened for now"

Tommy tried to stop himself from screaming.

Dream clicked his tongue.

"Why do I feel like there's something you're not telling me?"

"I can say the same about you" Nightmare put his hands on his waist "I felt like I was being watched before I had to work things out with your little friend, Techno"

"I thought you liked being the center of attention" Dream said acidly, making the impostor laugh, his laugh was thicker and more hoarse than the laugh of the real hunter.

"Oh, jealous? No, no, it was more like they were following me. You didn't see anyone passing by, did you?" his tone was indescribably sickening, like the way Dream spoke to Tommy during exile.

Dream just raised his eyebrows.

"Do I need to answer that for you?"

The other laughed again.

"You aren’t funny. I just wanted to check on you, but you seem pretty well, I will leave you alone now" Nightmare said and turned around, getting ready to leave.

"What's your purpose with this?" Dream asked, avoiding looking at the corner where Tommy and Tubbo were standing.

Nightmare stopped.

"What?"

"You heard me. When are you going to go back to your place and leave this server?"

"When I want to" 

“It’s not a convenient answer, you know”

The masked man became aggressive, approaching and coming face-to-face with Dream, who didn't seem too intimidated.

"I'm leaving when I want to, and if you don't accept it, it doesn't matter. Know that we're stuck in your deal. Try to send me away and I hurt everyone here"

Dream was silent and Nightmare walked to the door, knocking and locking it in the process.

He sighed and opened the screen again, watching it for minutes until he saw a purple dot disappear, he typed another code and Tommy and Tubbo saw each other again.

"What was that?!"

"What the fuck, Big D?!"

"Don't scream or my head will explode" Dream massaged the temples.

"So there are two Dream? What does that mean?" Tommy grabbed his own blonde strands and Dream gently removed his hands from his hair, preferring that the boy didn't hurt himself.

"There are no two of me, not literally. Nightmare is a demon who possessed me... I don't know how many months ago, but it was before L'manburg. We made a deal and gave him a body, along with a small parcel of my 'powers', based on your reactions, he broke the deal"

"How long have you been here?" Tubbo asked, confused and Dream sighed.

"We made the deal after he exiled Tommy" the blond boy froze "But I lost count of how long I've been here. What's going on outside?"

Tubbo's reply was stifled for Tommy, who had only one question on his mind.

_ Dream was never with him in exile? _

"What?!" Tommy looked at Dream, whose expression was covered in disbelief "He blew up L'manburg with Techno?!"

"Yeah.... It was after someone destroyed the community house, there was a fight, Tommy and I practically made up, but Tommy sided with me instead of Techno and you two teamed up. It was really dramatic..."

"So… L'manburg was destroyed..."

"There's nothing left..." Tommy murmured and Dream stared at him "Only craters that reached the bedrock"

"Oh, god... I'm sorry for you..." he sighed "It was that or he would do something much worse with all of you but..." he chuckled bitterly "I think I was stupid for believing in a demon's word"

"Why didn't you tell us that you were being possessed?" Tommy said, crossing his arms.

"Would you believe me? Would you all believe in a person who caused you a lot of pain, in fact was possessed all along?" Dream crossed his arms too, more defensive, green eyes narrowed.

"No... we wouldn't believe it" the younger blonde sighed.

"Besides, Tubbo and Fundy tried to exorcise me, but even they couldn't get it out of me"

"How did that work?" Tubbo asked, sitting on the cold floor.

"It wasn't a pattern, it started with little whispers until I blacked out for a few days and woke up on others, without recognizing what was happening because while for you it was Friday, for me it was still Tuesday"

"Until I blacked out for months and found out that you and Wilbur had been exiled, I managed to help them out of the shadows after learning about the situation, but I blacked out and woke up the day after the November, 16th"

"Wow... that's a lot" Tubbo whispered, still shocked that the person they saw every day, wasn’t a real person.

"Tell me about it..." Tommy sighed, feeling tired, rubbing his face.

"Do you know what he's up to now?"

"He told us he was going to travel and we plan to... have another war" Tommy said, hesitant with the statement, but Dream didn't seem to mind.

"This is really complicated... if I ran away after he left, it is likely that a sword will be stuck in mine before I can open my mouth, and it would be a mess... people wouldn't know which one of us is the real Dream"

"Is there any chance of trying to kick him out?" Tubbo asked "Fundy is far away, but I can try to summon Dreamon's Hunters again, Sapnap can help"

"It didn't work the first time, Tubs" Dream smiled guiltily "He's more powerful than he is now, unless we find an experienced demon expert in that category"

"So are you just going to give up?!" Tommy asked, exasperated and opening his arms.

"I didn't say that... will it be complicated? Yes, it will, but it doesn't mean that I can't try to help, if you two know about me now, it will be easier" He stood up and helped Tubbo to rise from the floor "You better go before something happens, as much as I can see it on the map, it’s not good to underestimate it"

"But what about you?"

"I can't do anything with the danger of him coming to visit me, maybe when he goes on that trip, I can try something" and he smiled at the two teenagers "Just... be careful, okay? I know you want to avenge your home, but try not to die "

"We can’t promise anything" Tommy grunted and Tubbo elbowed him "Ouch!"

"We'll be careful, Dream" Tubbo said determinedly and Dream nodded.

Tubbo used the same clip to open the lock and they both regretfully locked the door, but Dream waved and the two went back where they came from, with a plan forming in their minds.


	3. Meet me in the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is exiled blindly after Nightmare uses his body and he is forced to leave the mainland after months finally getting back in control.
> 
> After a while, Quackity thinks he may be up to something and suggests a search to find out if he's doing something and thwart his plans before something bad happens.
> 
> Perhaps a little house can provide some information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The request is by @AkaneShiro
> 
> And the title is Meet me in the woods - Lord Huron
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!

"I still don't think there's any need for that," Tubbo said, looking and waving the glass of water in his hands, looking uninterested in the matter.

The president, his office, Tommy and Ranboo were clustered on the dais, without looking like they were at an important meeting. Tubbo resting his face in his hand, Fundy lying in an awkward position on the tallest chair, Tommy lying on the floor and mumbling random things, and Ranboo scribbling in his notebook, Quackity seemed to be the only one concentrated, pacing back and forth with his hands. hands behind your back and your face frowning in thought.

It was summer, so don't blame them for being discouraged to do anything.

"I'm serious, Tubbo! What if he got a secret weapon and is preparing to attack at any moment?"

"You're overreacting, Big Q" Tommy said, not bothering to look at his friend "That Green Bitch won't be back, we guarantee it"

"We don't know that!" Quackity snorted "He's unpredictable, a cruel being! He can be here with us right now with some potion or other shit"

They all looked around instinctively, but returned to disinterest.

"We don't have to do that," Fundy commented, taking off his hat and fanning it quickly like a fan. "It's not worth the effort, we're working every day, and in the only free time we have, you want to drag us around looking for Dream."

"You guys, in quotes, Fundy" Tubbo said, arching his eyebrows "It's me and Ranboo doing the job, you and Quackity are always playing with Tommy"

Fundy and Quackity had the despair of being embarrassed.

"And aren't you going to scold Tommy?" Fundy replied, not looking at Tubbo

"Don't pull me to this shit" the blonde said, making a face

"Tommy isn't part of the cabinet, he just needs to follow the rules" Ranboo said, looking up from the notebook.

"Guys! We're going out of focus!" Quackity exclaimed and Tubbo pinched his nose

"Big Q, Dream is not coming back... we exiled him forever"

"But he doesn't follow the rules! He may come back for some reason! He may be siding with Technoblade right now!"

"Who exactly could be siding with me, Quackity?" Everyone looked at the warrior leaning on the stairs.

After Tommy returned to L'manburg, he tried to convince them to stop pursuing him, since Techno had helped him and etcetera, in contrast, he would stop trying to put propaganda and try to blow up the nation.

Technoblade only accepted because Tommy convinced him and Phil, but not that he would admit it out loud. Besides, it's funny to see Quackity and Fundy's face every time he appears out of nowhere.

"Jesus Christ!" Quacktiy almost jumped and Fundy cringed almost imperceptibly, Tubbo and Ranboo didn't move and just waved amicably

"Ey Big Man!" Tommy greeted, now sitting on the wood.

"What were you discussing?" Phil asked approaching, with Ghostbur beside him.

"Confidential subject--"

"Big Q wants to try to find Dream because he thinks he's up to something" Tubbo replied and shrugged when the bluish stared at him accusingly.

"Oh, so it was about that"

"My concerns are valid!" Quackity said.

"We are not saying that they are not. We are saying that you are worrying about too many things" Ranboo said "Besides, if we were looking for them, we don't even know where he went"

"I know" all heads snapped to Ghostbur

"What?!" surprise was seen on everyone's face.

"Why did you never say that ?!" Tommy asked, getting up and leaning on Tubbo's chair

"You never asked me" the ghost smiled "it's been good months since I saw him, actually"

"How did you find him?" Fundy asked, looking more interested

"I didn't find him, he found me! Remember when I got lost?"

"And you didn't come home for a week and a half?" Phil suggested

"Yes! I was lost and left the land boundary, Dream found me lost in a ravine far to the north and he helped me to find the exit, I think he left afterwards"

"Did he have Netherite armor? Potions? Something dangerous?" Quackity asked seriously

"Nop! He was even without a mask!"

The group fell silent.

"Without... the mask?"

“Yeah, he had green eyes, freckles around the face, scars and blonde hair”

"How did you know it was him?" Tubbo asked

"The voice, obviously. It looked like he didn't speak for a while, but it was Dream for sure"

"How long did this happen?" Techno asked and Ghostbur was silent, counting on his fingers.

"I think... about three or four months"

"A lot may have changed"

"Quackt--" Tubbo started but Tommy interrupted him

"It might be cool to go on an adventure for the first time in months"

"Uhu! Adventure!" Ghostbur celebrated

"Uh... sure is that a good idea?" Fundy said uncertainly "It's summer and L'manburg would have no one to look after"

"Badlands can help!" Tommy said

"Badlands?"

"Yeah, like, I know they're not that close to us, but Bad and Sam are responsible, plus Niki, Eret and Puffy would be here too and they are trustworthy"

"You really are deciding on a trip in, what? Five minutes?" Techno laughed mockingly

"It will be cool! Come on Tubbo!" Tommy said excitedly and Tubbo sighed

"It is not even guaranteed that we will find him"

"It is not our main goal to find him. I just want to do something else"

"Actually, it is--"

"Fundy, come on, you want to do this too" Tommy asked Fundy, who threw his head back dramatically, and grunted

"I feel like I'm going to regret it..."

"Ranboo too!" the half-enderman just smiled and shrugged, he would take anything.

"Quackity suggested it and Ghostbur agreed, Phil and Techno can go along"

"I didn't even say anything" the elder laughed

"Alright, alright..." the young president smiled "we are going on a trip"

Tommy, Ghostbur and Quackity celebrated, for different reasons, obviously.

* * *

Everyone decided that they would go to the side that Ghostbur and Dream last met, and hold on until they found a sign or a place to look for information.

They were huddled at the very end of the server's territory, they were split into pairs for each horse, Ghostbur and Ranboo,Tommy and Techno, Tubbo and Phil, and Quackity with Fundy.

Tommy was packing a horse when he saw two people approaching.

"Tommy!"

"Hi Sapnap, George" the boy greeted them confused, seeing that they were both equipped "What... are you doing here, exactly?"

The two looked at each other and George stared at him over the lens of his glasses

"We heard you are going to look for Dream"

"Yeah... Quackity was worried that he would come back and worse, so he wants to be sure. Most of us are here just for the trip"

"Can we go?" Sapnap asked quietly "We just want to check that he is okay"

Tommy didn't know much about the context, he only knew that they had fought a little while after Tommy was exiled.

The teenager turned to Tubbo and Techno who were standing a little way back, where they were talking. His friend smiled and Techno scoffed.

"Find a horse in 10 minutes or we leave without you"

In five minutes, the two returned with a horse that they 'borrowed' from Bad.

* * *

In basically five and a half hours, they found an isolated village at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by a forest that covered most of the landscape.

The sky was beginning to take on shades of pink and orange, the clouds also becoming darker. They dismounted from the horses, feeling pain in their legs and walked towards the illuminated center.

It was slightly larger than L'manburg, with more houses to house more people and more crops to provide food, the villagers talked and did their late afternoon chores while the children ran past them.

"What do we do now?" Tommy asked, breaking the group's silence

"We asked for information, let's see if they found or saw Dream around here" Sapnap suggested and everyone nodded

The group went to church and found the clergyman sitting on the stairs, braiding a little girl who played with other children beside her, all smiling.

"Hello good afternoon!" Phil greeted the gentleman and stood up, asking the children to play elsewhere.

"Good afternoon, I never saw you around this region"

"We are travelers, we are looking for an acquaintance" Qackity replied

"He wears a lime green sweatshirt, usually with an axe and wears a mask" Tubbo offered the description and the older man thought

"No... I didn't see that person, but there is a hunter some terrains ahead, he always comes here to help us. He is a lonely man, but pleasant, he can help you, he is a trustworthy man"

"We will look for it, thank you" Phil thanked him.

"No problem, if you need anything, my name is Joshua" the group said goodbye and sat in the square, on a remote bench.

"Do you think we can trust this hunter?" Fundy asked, tapping her fingers on the wood.

"We have to find Dream somehow, this is the only direction" George said and Sapnap nodded

"What do you think, Phil?" Techno asked the blonde, who frowned and looked at the horizon.

"I think it's worth the risk"

* * *

The sun was already gone and only the moon and stars were shining in the dark sky, the group was almost glued to each other, afraid of getting lost in the darkness or that one of them would fall on a fragile floor.

Ranboo was the first to see lights coming from a small hut, surrounded by a colorful garden, Tubbo and Ghostbur found it very cute.

Techno went ahead with Phil and the two hovered over the door, until the pink hit the wood.

The door was opened by none other than Dream, who wore his cracked mask, a coat too big for his body, looking like an overcoat, over a jumpsuit and a yellow T-shirt, next to colored polka dot socks, his blond hair looked darker, like a dirty brown, and his hands felt callused, with some band-aids and cuts.

Everyone's eyes widened and Dream tensed.

"Dream!" Sapnap and George tried to get closer, but the friend took two steps back, skittish. Their features became more discouraged and they retreated hesitantly.

Nobody made a move to do something until Dream sighed and turned to the older blonde and the pink one.

"May I know what they are doing here?" His voice was more hoarse, only the tone was friendly and yet, suspicious

"We came to look for you, to find out if you were okay" Phil said, omitting the reason Quackity had mentioned

Dream scoffed

"I'm fine... and I know this isn’t the real reason" he pulled away and opened the door wider "I will probably regret this, but you can come in... don't step too hard, I did a renovation on the floor, so it is not so firm yet "

They entered apprehensively, watching the decor. It was a simple little room, with a shabby green armchair where a cat was sleeping quietly, potted plants and flowers gave color to the environment, it also had a tool holder and a coat rack with coats and a straw hat, it had a small blue lamp and books stacked on the floor and available anywhere.

"Now... can you tell me why you are here?"

"Why don't you believe us?" George asked quietly, holding his hands nervously

"Because, first, Quackity is here and I know he wouldn't come without a good reason. Second, I know when some of you are lying and third, you have exiled me..." that last sentence, he murmured softly "you wouldn't care about me even if it was the end of the world "

Sapnap prepared to argue but Quackity interrupted.

"Congratulations, Dream, you discovered our game" he said, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes "Now, we'll find out yours"

"What?"

"Quacki--"

"What are you up to?"

"Are you really asking me that?"

"Yes, I'd rather end a threat than allow you to do damage again" he pulled the knife a little out of its sheath, but no one noticed, no one but the host. Dream just laughed, and it was not that kettle-laugh they knew, but a laugh without humor.

"Not that you're going to believe me, of course" he started "But I'm just raising a small farm, I have my sheep, I'm starting a cow pen, I have my crops and normally I'm going to help a village nearby"

They were all silent before Quackity scoffed.

"Yeah, I don't believe it"

Dream shook his head and signaled the group to follow them.

Some of them threw ugly looks at the man wearing the beanie, which he just ignored.

Dream went to the kitchen and opened the back door, letting the night wind in, and everyone's eyes widened again.

Below the field, there were two plantations of unknown plants and a sheep pen a little closer to the hut, all close together.

"Show off" Techno said, as a joke, but Dream just fisted his hand and walked away from the door, back to the main room, the pink-haired one frowned.

"I'm not planning anything, and I'm fine, if you don't believe me, patience"

"Dream, I admit that we weren't honest with you, but George and Sapnap wanted to see if you were okay" Phil said, clearing the situation

"As if they had a reason" he said, the mask staring at them impassively "Apparently, it doesn't matter anymore"

"Why are you aggressive? We are not threatening you" Fundy said, crossing his arms and Dream felt suffocated.

"Yeah, yeah, and I’m going to pretend that Quackity almost taking the knife wasn’t threatening enough" everyone stared at him "I just think it’s kind of mean you guys showing up in the middle of the night, saying you were worried, but you didn’t believe it when I said I wasn’t doing anything and are trying to act as if after all these months, our friendships would be as before"

"Do you think the exile was our fault?" Tommy said abruptly, he recognized that was the same way he thought during his exile, he thought nobody cared and it was everybody's fault

"Not your fault, but you who did it"

"We did it?" Tommy gritted his teeth and closed his hands in a fist "You exiled me! You hurt everyone! You manipulated me! You helped destroy L'manburg! We were your friends! You did all the harm to the server and your friends, and we are wrong?!"

"You aren’t my friends!" his voice grew darker, everyone was shocked, but Sapnap grabbed the farmer by the collar of his coat

"Repeat that shit! Repeat on my face!"

Dream pushed him away and pointed at everyone.

"You aren’t my friends! You abandoned me when I needed help! You didn't even recognize me! And you still think of yourself as my friends?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" almost everyone shouted

"You didn’t even know who was behind the mask!" Dream took a hand to the mask and pulled it out, snapping the bundle that held it in his face

Instead of looking into two emerald green eyes, they looked into a mystical purple and forest green.

Sapnap knew that Dream had no heterochromia.

His face was abnormally pale and had purple streaks like webs, which started at the side of the face and grew up to the eyes, his eyes were also red, as if he wanted to cry but was holding.

"What happened to you...?" George whispered softly

"It's a demon, right?" all eyes went to Phil

"What?" Tubbo asked

"It is common that when demons have a host and are exorcised, they leave marks on these people, be it differently colored eyes, cursed marks, pointed ears and claws" Phil murmured "How long ago?"

Dream looked away

"Before L'manburg..." his voice was tearful

Everyone held the air and froze

"This is almost a year!" Tommy exclaimed

"That's impossible" Quackity said and Dream rolled his eyes

"They start like a little devil on his shoulder, whispering his most wicked thoughts, and he gets stronger with hatred, when you see, he took over your body" Phil said and everyone frowned

"I blacked out for a few days, and he controlled me, when he got tired, either because he satiated his boredom or weakened his powers, he blacked out and I regained consciousness" Dream sighed, placing a hand on the back of his neck and changing the weight of his legs "The more control he had, the more strength he got, until he took control of me for months..."

"When... when did you wake up?" Sapnap asked, feeling sick and afraid to hear the answers

"When you guys exiled me"

"Do you remember what happened before that?" Techno asked and Dream shook his head.

"I only know things that Nightmare, the demon, told me, like me fighting with George and Sapnap, he commented on someone being exiled, about the November,16th explosion and etc"

"It doesn't make sense... I mean, Tubbo and I exorcised you during the elections!" Fundy said and Phil cleared his throat

"Not doubting your abilities, but Dream was being controlled for months, which means that Nightmare was powerful and would not give up on the host without a fight. That was the first case of you, a demon of this category and that power would not come out with just the exorcism of two newbies "

Fundy and Tubbo looked at each other, disappointed with themselves.

"Did the clergyman exorcise you?" Ranboo asked

"Yes, he noticed the signs, I think... he had already done these procedures, it was more difficult because he was almost merging with me, it worked in the end, unfortunately the marks could not be removed"

Ghostbur smiled and handed crystals to the blonde, who smiled weakly, the transparent crystal turned midnight blue in seconds.

"Why... didn't you tell us?" Sapnap asked, approaching slightly

"You wouldn't have believed it, and I only regained control when it was too late"

"So... nothing that happened... was it really you?" Tommy asked

"I don't think so... I don't remember much of most months on the server"

It made George break into silent tears.

They were all silent with the revelation that most of the memories they had, did not even exist in the masked man's head.

"Dream...?" Sapnap asked hesitantly

"Hm?"

"Can we hug you?"

Dream's eyes widened and his gaze clouded for a few seconds before he nodded.

Sapnap wrapped him in his arms and buried his face in his shoulder, George ran over to them and hugged them both, hiding Dream from the view of the others.

Dream tensed for a few seconds, before melting into the embrace and wrapping his arms around his friends again, he closed his eyes and smiled, feeling tears in his cheeks and shoulders.

He felt good

It was nice.


	4. I will always protect you, even if you hate me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo and Dream are on opposite sides in the war, he feels that they are no longer a family.
> 
> Tubbo was in the middle of the central courtyard, celebrating being the new start of L'manburg when the explosions started.
> 
> Soon after, Dream is hugging him like a cocoon and his sweatshirt is quickly turning red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The request is by @Team_ETN
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (Schlatt isn't their father, but Tubbo and Dream are brothers anyway)

Tubbo remembers his first war.

He remembers him, with Tommy standing in front of him to protect him, all L'manbergians in offensive positions, facing the three people above the wall.

Dream was against him.

It is not a very nice thing to fight in a war against your older brother, but war forces people to do horrible things, like murder and betrayal. After Dream beat Tommy in the duel, Tubbo was angry at him, because with this defeat, Tommy would have to give Dream his discs because they knew Tommy wanted L'manburg to exist and be independent.

After that war, Tubbo and Dream were technically on the same side, on Schlatt's side, but Tubbo was a spy and cabinet member while Dream acted as a bodyguard.

He remembers taking care not to run into his brother if he was about to run away and meet Tommy and Wilbur in Pogtopia.

But his care wasn’t worth much of the attempt when Schlatt ordered his execution by Technoblade.

He hates to remember. He panicked in that box, he looked for someone to help him, he even looked for Dream, but he didn't find it and he froze when he saw the rocket explode, filling his vision with colored powder and blinding him with pain until he passed out.

When he woke up, he was in a bed in Pogtopia feeling pain all over his body, with Tommy beside him, his fists red and clenched, a cut on his cheek and a black eye.

Tommy handed him the mirror and he saw burns on the face, torso, shoulder and arm, the darker blue eyes signifying the lost innocence and showing the horn buds that began to grow above his head.

He can’t say that he wasn’t surprised by this.

He asked the blonde about how they brought him back and Tommy frowned

"You were already here when we arrived. You worried us a lot, big man!" and was sunk in a warm embrace.

He remembered that box and the heat of the explosion on his skin and started to cry, asking to leave.

He didn't want to be there.

He didn't want to feel the pain again.

Niki had to calm him down and Wilbur had to get a very scared Tommy out of the room.

He cried himself to sleep and didn’t feel a presence beside him, humming a song long forgotten, a song that prevented him from having nightmares about a beast aimed at his heart.

A song about family.

* * *

Dream wouldn’t consider himself a good person

Sure, he knows that the concept of good and evil is overrated, but in general, he hates himself.

Perhaps in war, he thought he was a good person, a person who was trying to maintain peace and order. He caused a war to maintain peace, an ironic distortion now that he is already marked as the devil.

He doesn't consider himself a good friend.

He doesn’t consider himself a good ally.

He doesn't consider himself a good brother.

He doesn’t consider himself a person, he considers himself a pawn, obeying orders.

His leadership has hurted everyone, so he prefers someone else to do it.

So nobody will blame him if something goes wrong. He's selfish.

He was fine following Schlatt's orders, at least he could keep an eye on Tubbo.

Not that Dream found the boy to be inept, but Dream always had to hide the traces of escape that the youngest made.

He remembers sitting on the parapet of the tower, watching the festival.

He remembers seeing Schlatt and Quackity surrounding his brother in a yellow box. He saw Technoblade and didn't even process it when he heard the crackle of fireworks.

Dream plummeted and dropped the pearl, his mind working on the automatic and filled with adrenaline. His feet fell to the stone floor and he ran over the stage, holding a fragile Tubbo in his arms.

He went into Pogtopia and performed first aid and any kind of treatment he could, he didn't even notice when he started to tremble with blood staining his hands and sweatshirt. He sat next to Tubbo, murmuring apologies and requests for recovery against the boy's hand and disappeared when Tommy entered the room, as if no one had been there seconds before.

The tears finally came after so much numbness.

He was going to do something, he needed to do something.

No one saw them disappear during the festival, all focused on Techno making a killing and Tommy getting ready for a duel.

No one but one.

* * *

Schlatt could be inept, alcoholic, irresponsible and even stupid for many things.

But he isn’t stupid on how to create vital pawns.

He knows when pawns should be discarded and when new ones should be made.

Tubbo was a pawn that he needed to finish, unfortunately, his attempt was thwarted, but a new pawn came into his preference.

Dream

After the festival fiasco, he knows the hunter's weakness and he will use it.

"You don't want me to hurt your precious little brother, do you?"

It is a dangerous game, but they both know it.

And they both know that Dream isn’t going to risk Tubbo's life.

"What do you want?"

"I know you provided Wilbur Soot with things... unfortunately we can't undo that, but you have a more important job"

"You will protect me at all costs when the time comes"

* * *

Tubbo can't help feeling disappointed in Dream.

And he can't help being afraid.

He is fighting his family again, and all weapons are fireworks.

He just wants to go home and pretend he doesn't have a war going on.

Dream wants the same thing

Dream and his group surrender and Tubbo escapes a sigh of relief.

Tubbo is on the podium being decorated as the new president, Dream lets out a smile of pride.

All his allies and Techno ask if it is because he is going to do something, but in this case, he is just happy that his little brother is doing well and is going to do great things.

But then why does he feel that there is something going on?

His eyes snap in the direction of the crowd and he doesn't notice when he's holding the axe.

* * *

Tubbo is jumping with happiness.

They ended this stupid war.

Wilbur and Tommy proclaimed him as the new president, and Tubbo is under pressure.

He accepts and declares a new era of peace.

He doesn't want wars, he wants fun, he wants freedom, friendship and peace.

He may be very naive, but he doesn't care.

The problem is the feeling that it isn’t over yet.

He steps down from the podium and starts greeting people, he receives congratulations and smiles of relief.

Tubbo feels the color on his face disappear when he feels someone grabbing him by the neck of his coat and he is forced to kneel on the floor and hands up.

A loaded crossbow next to his head.

Technoblade is holding it and everything falls down when Tubbo feels the same sensation as the festival.

The feeling that he is going to die.

His breathing increases, and he doesn't hear Tommy and Techno screaming because, oh god, he's going to die.

Tommy goes out to attack, but it is Dream who appears out of nowhere and swings the axe to hit the anarchist in the face.

The axe sticks to the crossbow that he uses to protect his face.

Everyone is tense and Tubbo walks away slightly.

The mask stares at the red eyes.

**_"No. One. Touches. My. Brother!"_** Dream says in a voice that exudes a turbulent and uncontrollable fury, his green eyes with a dangerous glow that no one can see.

Everyone is too shocked by this revelation to realize that Wilbur is gone.

Everyone is shocked to see a new member's arrival message on the server.

But everyone hears the spark below their feet and the ground trembles slightly.

Tubbo sees white and surrenders to destruction.

* * *

The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is green.

They are green eyes that stare at him with an infinite concern and an indescribable emotion.

Tubbo stares at Dream, his face full of soot, bloodstains and scars, freckles on his cheeks and blonde hair on his forehead.

Tubbo's ears are still ringing, but he knows his brother is saying something.

Dream is slowly inspiring and exhaling.

Oh... he's breathing really fast, isn’t he?

Tubbo does his best to follow the instructions, he remembers them.

In for four, hold for eight, out for four

Gradually, his grip on Dream's body lessens and the world comes back into focus, Tubbo can see the destruction, he can see everything, he can feel everything.

"It was... I was supposed to die," he says and Dream smiles weakly, drops of blood coming out of his mouth.

The world stops for a minute 

Everyone hears Tubbo's frighteningly disturbing cry.

They don't hear Wilbur's voice, but the traumatized boy's voice trying to hold his brother's body tightly, blood clotting from Dream’s mouth and his sweatshirt drenched in red by a wound in his abdomen and legs.

Tommy and the others run over to the boy who is trying to lay his brother down, but Dream doesn't let go, wanting to hug him one last time.

"Tubs... I'm sorry..." he whispers, the metallic taste almost suffocating him "I wish... I wish I had been a brother... better..."

Tubbo is crying and Fundy and Niki manage to leave the greenish on the ground in ashes, he is holding his brother's hand tightly.

"You are going... to be a... a good... president..."

"Dream, be quiet, you're losing more blood!" Niki says, taking her coat off her waist and trying to wrap it around the hunter.

"Be happy... and... don't get into trouble..." he coughs, still smiling "it's likely that Tommy... will drag you to... that but don't follow him..."

"Dream, shut up!" Fundy screams, desperate and looking for a healing potion in his bag, Bad appears and hands over his things too.

"I... love you..." and his grip is weaker, Tubbo can't stop sobbing and screaming, while Tommy drags him to a safe place, leaving the three to work.

* * *

Tubbo sits on the grass and hugs his knees, watching the newly built landscape of L'manburg, the flowers on his lap seem so heavy.

He rests his head against the decorated stone and pulls out the broken mask, now glued, and places it over his face.

The tears never stop coming, no matter how many times he comes to the top of the hill and sits next to him.

"I love you too"


	5. I never thought I'd have a home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo learned in the worst way that no one can be trusted.
> 
> But, he can make an exception for these people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The request and title is by @ThatOneAngstWriter
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!

Ranboo learned the hard way that he couldn't trust people.

Did that make him a bad person? He didn't know.

He stared at himself in the broken mirror, touching the white and black strands of his hair, he ran his hands over his face that seemed to be split in the same colors as his hair. The red and green eyes stared at the glass, wishing deep inside that it could magically change its appearance.

Everyone called him a freak and it made him want to cry or hide.

He always did both.

Ranboo was hiding in an abandoned cabin trying to protect himself from the rain that prevented him from returning to his makeshift little house.

He sighed and waited for the rain to stop.

* * *

Ranboo held his breath when he heard the footsteps of older children running down the alley where they thought he was gone.

His wrist was still aching from the strength they took, and he feared that someone would find him.

Unfortunately, that happened before he could sigh.

A hand grabbed his ankle and he was pulled, Ranboo screamed with fright and held anything that would prevent him from being dragged and beaten.

"What are you doing?!"

"I can't pull him out! He's stuck"

"Come on, guys, help here! ' panic and despair almost made Ranboo drop whatever he was holding, but he tightened his grip and felt his other ankle being pulled.

His hands were already getting slippery.

"Pull!"

"Stop!" he shouted, in a tearful voice "Let me go!"

"Pull!" they ignored him and Ranboo felt a lump form in his throat.

A tickle-like sensation swirled in his stomach, as if he had eaten glitter.

His instincts asked him to let go, but his rational side begged him to keep holding on.

Ranboo followed instinct and released, the boys pulled him and fell backwards.

All that was left in the alley were the cruel children and purple dust in the air.

Ranboo woke up in a forest on the other side of the village, sighing with relief and letting the silent tears stream down his cheeks.

* * *

The elders also treated him badly, some implicitly and others said it out loud.

Both ways hurt like needles in his heart.

Ranboo doesn't remember the first time he had someone hugging him or saying good things to him like compliments, or simply talking to him without looking like they were talking to a wild animal.

He sighs and tries to ignore the looks of disgust as he pulls his red cart full of junk through the streets.

* * *

When he turns 15, Ranboo gathers his things and leaves the village, he leaves his tent in the middle of the forest and these horrible people to rot and does not look back.

It's a good feeling that makes his body lighter.

He hides in his cap and scarf, always walking in the shadows so as not to attract attention and when he sees that he is going to have problems, he just teleports to the other side, having to sleep for two days to recover his energy.

It is not a healthy lifestyle for young people his age, but Ranboo never had much luxury to know what was healthy or not, so he continues.

He walks until he has no strength left

He walks until his shoes are too worn

He walks until his clothes are uncomfortable to wear.

He walks until he finds a city, bigger than any he has ever seen.

A city decorated with random and beautiful buildings and constructions, with a castle, a pier and many other things.

This city has people too, and Ranboo already feels that he will need to use his powers.

He enters a wooden path, and sees some people from a distance. Two people just talking, one building and talking to herself, a group of three laughing and looking really excited.

None of them notices Ranboo and he thanked mentally.

After admiring everything, he finds himself in a heap of little houses grouped on top of a platform above an artificial lake.

It's pretty.

"Hey you!" A person screams and Ranboo almost screams too. He looks up and sees two boys, a blond and a brunette with horns.

"Hello! Are you lost?" the brunette asks while the blonde crosses his arms

"Ah-- I... I mean--" he hesitated and the two of them look at him confused "I... I have nowhere to stay..."

The horned boy widens his bright eyes and jumps from where he is sitting, going to the half-enderman. He wore a decorated suit, a green tie, and a bee pin.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tubbo" the boy reaches out and Ranboo greets him cautiously.

_'Trust no one'_ he hears in his head

"What's your name?" the blond boy asks, approaching, still suspicious and Tubbo gives him an elbow.

"Don't be rude. This is Tommy"

"Um... pleasure, I'm Ranboo"

"You said you didn't have a place to stay, right?" Tubbo asked and Ranboo nodded slightly "We have a little house here in L'manburg that is empty, you can occupy it if you want"

"If it's not too much trouble... I'm going to continue traveling in a few days, I won't do anything, don't worry"

"No problem. Stay as long as you need"

Tubbo smiled and Tommy nodded.

Ranboo allowed himself to smile just a little.

* * *

Apparently, this 'city' was called Dream SMP, but within it there were mini cities and factions.

L'manburg was one of them.

Tubbo was the president, which scared Ranboo because he was so young.

_ (He decided not to comment on the burns on his face) _

Tommy was the vice president, and he appeared to be a normal human.

He met some other people too.

Quackity, a boy with duck wings, Fundy, a fox hybrid.

Niki, a human and confectioner and florist, Puffy, a sheep hybrid, and adventurer.

He also met Eret, who was a king with his own castle, always wearing sunglasses no matter what time.

During his stay, Ranboo started helping Tubbo and his office to work, always writing important notes.

It was a habit that became necessary after discovering his memory relapses.

People thought he was nice and he felt good about it.

Even though he didn't reveal that he was a half-enderman, afraid that everything would go downhill.

That afternoon, he, Tubbo, Tommy, Fundy and Quackity were holed up in a room doing paperwork when they were interrupted.

"Knock Knock" everyone turned at the door to see an older blond man wearing a bucket hat

"Phil!" Tommy and Tubbo smiled and ran to hug him.

"We missed you!" Tubbo shouted excitedly

"It was getting boring without you, Big Man" Tommy said and Phil laughed

"Hi Phil" Fundy and Quackity greeted him and his eyes went to Ranboo, who winced automatically.

"I see we have a visitor" he smiled and Tubbo took the hand of the hybrid

"This is Ranboo, he is helping us here!"

"Nice to meet you, Ranboo" Phil smiled and held out his hand, Ranboo greeted him back

"Thank you" he murmured

"I'm going to unload my stuff, anything knock on my door" Phil closed the door and black feathers entered the room.

"Tubbo..." Ranboo called the president, hesitantly

"Hm?"

"Who was he?"

"Ah, he's our dad" Tommy replied, sitting down on the chair

"Dad?"

"I know it doesn't look like it, but it's true" Tubbo laughed "I was adopted, while Tommy, Wilbur and Techno are birth brothers... I think?"

"Don't ask me" Tommy surrendered "I lost everything about the family tree when I found out that Wilbur fucked a salmon"

A... salmon ?!

"You know you're disrespecting my mom, right, TommyInnit?" Fundy said, deadpanning

"What?"

"Oh yeah... I'm Phil's grandson, my dad is Wilbur, Tommy's brother" Fundy waved his hand like it was no big deal.

Apparently everyone is a family here.

"Don't tell me that Quackity is part of that equation"

"Oh no, god forbid" Quackity laughed "Being married is family enough"

"Are you married?"

"Yeah, they are Sapnap and Karl, you will find them around, they aren't from L'manburg, but they show up every now and then"

"Got it..." Ranboo sighed and took out his notebook, writing down what he learned

_ (-Tommy and Tubbo are brothers, with Tubbo being adopted, they have two apparently older brothers _

_ -Phil is their father and grandfather of Fundy, son of Wilbur, one of the brothers, with a salmon (?) _

_ -There is a Techno and a Dream _

_ -Quackity is married to Sapnap and Karl) _

This is getting out of control, but it's a chaotic nice

* * *

He and Phil begin to see each other when he accompanies Tommy and Tubbo on their 'missions'.

He discovers that Phil has raven wings.

It's nice to know that this place is not just for humans

* * *

In one of the days, he will mine.

It is something that they all do, to always keep the stock of materials for people.

Ranboo is completely alone, just listening to the sounds of the cave.

Sometimes he looks at the messages in the main group and laughs lonely.

Ranboo digs a narrow corridor before the ground collapses and he teleports to the nearest ground, almost at the edge of a lava lake.

He gasps, feeling weak and almost burning.

He sends a message in the group

_ [Ranboo: Hey, I'm stuck somewhere and I can't get out, can someone help me?] _

He waits and feels a tightness in his chest when no one responds.

He shouldn't be surprised.

A sound echoes in the cave and he opens the communicator again

_ [Phil: What are the coordinates?] _

Ranboo sighs in relief and opens his compass

_ [Ranboo: -100 50 -230] _

_ [Phil: Got it, I'm coming] _

The eldest arrived not many minutes later and Ranboo allowed himself to trust just a little.

* * *

It was raining a lot, so Ranboo had to stick in his umbrella to stay with Tubbo

The two were sitting in the rain, watching the landscape of L'manburg, Tubbo was quite calm, considering that he was getting drenched in water.

"You are a good friend, Ranboo" he hears Tubbo say

And as much as Ranboo doesn't really believe, he can't help but smile

* * *

There are many things that happen and Ranboo forgets to leave.

His notebook is full of new notes, notes about people, places, routines he did and anything he considered important.

He doesn't even notice when he's been there for five months.

He only knows when Tubbo hugs him out of nowhere.

He forces himself not to teleport

"Happy five month anniversary!" the youngest smiles and takes a package out of his suit

When he opens it, it is an empty book and a folded black suit.

"I saw that your notebook was running out of space, so I managed to make one for you, besides... you are almost a member of the cabinet..."

Ranboo's eyes widen and he grins, so he hugs Tubbo, who hugs him back.

"Thank you"

* * *

There are several conflicts in Dream SMP, but Tubbo says it is a normal occurrence.

It's usually always Tommy and Dream.

They are constantly fighting and playing, there are always explosives involved, but they plug the holes.

Sometimes they don't.

Tubbo also tells him about L'manburg's horrible past, about a war of independence, about a dictator who was responsible for his scars, and about an explosion that blew everything up and about withers.

Ranboo worries about it, but Tubbo says it's okay, they may have conflicts, but they are taking care.

He's also getting closer to Fundy, they're building things together.

They made a birthday present for Tubbo

The two are the people he talks to the most.

It feels good

* * *

Ranboo visits Tommy when he is put into temporary exile.

They don't tell Dream, but he probably knows and doesn't care.

Tommy says he wants to kill him for being a green bastard, but apparently they are having fun.

* * *

No one really suspected that he was a half-enderman and that makes him less worried.

He doesn't know what he would do if Tubbo looked at him with fear.

He, Fundy and Tubbo were exploring a forest, Tubbo and Fundy stayed behind, while Ranboo went ahead.

He watched the two boys before they heard an explosive hiss.

He disappeared right when the creeper exploded.

He appeared a few feet away, and Tubbo and Fundy approached.

Ranboo felt despair building, he couldn’t teleport again if the two attacked him.

For a moment he expected screams of fear or disgust, perhaps a sword pointed at him, but it didn’t come.

Tubbo and Fundy watched him with concern, they asked if he had been hurt.

He frowned

"Aren't you... afraid of me?"

"Of course not, all of us are not even human" Fundy says, helping him to his feet

"But... I'm practically an enderman"

"You're our friend, Ranboo, we would never be afraid of you" Tubbo says, dusting off Ranboo’s coat

Ranboo feels like a weight has come off his shoulders and he allows himself to trust two more people.

* * *

Ranboo accompanies Phil on a trip to the Arctic, and it is there that he meets Tommy and Tubbo’s older brothers.

Wilbur, or Ghostbur, a ghost and Technoblade, the blood god himself, apparently.

It's a little scary, but Ranboo tries not to get carried away by first impressions.

They are nice and Phil's children, Ranboo trusts Phil.

Phil presents him with a blue robe from the Arctic empire, their faction.

He still wears the suit, but always wears the gift when he comes to visit.

Eventually he tells Phil about him being a half-enderman and the older one tells him about his adventures around the world.

He also finds out that Tommy was hiding from Dream, because he was practically irritating him every day.

He just wants the two weeks to pass and everyone laughs about it.

Gradually, Ranboo thinks he has a family.

* * *

One day, Tubbo offers him citizenship and Ranboo accepts.

There is no reason to walk around looking for a home.

He already has a home and that is enough.


	6. A garden of Seedlings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream retires after the events of the November, 16th.
> 
> Tommy appears a few months later, exiled and running away.
> 
> or
> 
> A role swap between Dream and Technoblade, but Tommy is exiled anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title and request are by @ambiguoustrash
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (The role swap was my idea. If you don't like it, please tell me and I will rewrite it!)

Dream clearly remembers that night, the night he gave up and left.

He was watching the starry night while bandaging his wounds, his armor was lying on the floor and his feet dangled slightly. The smell of smoke infected the entire server and was making him sick.

Dream doesn't remember the last time he smiled so easily, and it made him miss him. I miss building something, pranking or just enjoying an afternoon, without having to worry about bloodshed.

He doesn’t remember the last time that the war wasn’t present in SMP.

It was an impulsive decision, but he has no regrets.

At dawn, even before the sun came up, Dream left empty-handed, with only his green sweatshirt and mask on his face.

No one realized he was gone until a week later.

* * *

Dream wandered alone for quite a while.

He met some people in the villages he took shelter in, he talked to himself, and to animals he saw, but he was always alone.

He was unable to stay in the same place for long, unaccustomed to having a roof, always running and always fighting, and when he had a minute of peace, he stayed in the houses of George and Sapnap.

He is also always remembering about them.

He feels bad often, but as was said, that was an impulsive decision.

He stopped at a village when it was getting dark and asked for a place to stay.

A small family welcomed him.

He was a father with three children.

The father looked like a wise man, and he asked questions about Dream

"Where are you from?"

"From a place far from here"

"What have you been doing?"

"Walking"

"Just walking?"

'Just walking"

"Are you going to stop sometime?"

Dream hesitated

"I don’t know"

"Maybe you better ask yourself about it"

And Dream didn't sleep any of the nights he stayed with that family.

His father, Markus, taught him about many things, how to care for the land, how to sew, about animals and more other random things that Dream kept in the back of his mind.

The children, Amanda, Charlie and Timothy, always played with him and in return, he told stories about his home, stories about explorations, about wars and about people who were kept with him.

After a month and a half, Dream was able to answer the question.

"I will stop walking"

Markus seemed satisfied with the answer and Dream left the next morning, aiming to stay in a place he would call his own.

* * *

There were many things Dream was proud of, but that was his greatest pride, greater than anything.

Dream built a small hut in a field of sunflowers

It was very hard and amateur work, mainly trying to build from scratch.

It had many flaws, but it was his.

It was just made of wood, but as he remodeled it, he increased it a little bit.

He also started planting using Markus' tips, taking good care of the land and learning to be patient.

Dream was never patient, but he thinks he can do it for plants.

Some days, he feels like he's going to collapse if he doesn't do something, so he allows himself to forge a weapon.

He mines on days when he is in need of action, and he builds an anvil, where he forges a short-bladed sword.

Dream's muscular memory allows him to fight

_ Defense, attack, retreat, defense, attack, retreat _

He repeats these movements until he gets tired and he is less agitated.

He was always raised to fight, and he knows that he will never unlearn how to do it.

* * *

One day, the green sweatshirt tears in half and he cries.

Maybe he's overreacting, but he always wore that sweatshirt.

It's hard to let go.

He's willing, but it doesn't make it any less difficult.

He leaves in the vicinity to find sheep.

At the end of the day, he sits on the little balcony he made, and he sews using what little he has learned from Niki and Markus.

And he sews every day that week and at the end, the result is frustrating.

It's a white blouse with a strange high collar, the stitch is loose, the sleeves don't have the same length.

Dream scoffs and no longer touches the piece.

* * *

At the very end of a wheat harvest, he meets Tommy who screams with fright.

Ah... he forgot that nobody ever saw him without a mask.

"What are you doing here?!"

"... I live here, Tommy"

The boy looks more tired and pale, his clothes are in tatters and he has old socks, his eyes are not the same bright blue as before and there are dark circles, dirt in his blond hair and he looks very oblivious.

Dream knows Tommy hated him after November, but he offers a place to take shelter. He knows that Tommy wouldn’t normally accept, because he is a stubborn child who doesn’t accept help, but he convinces him and Tommy takes the room that was Dream's before.

Dream moves to the second bedroom, which is a little smaller.

They don’t speak and Dream accepts his anger in silence, he was used to not talking to anyone.

He realizes that Tommy hasn't changed, but at the same time he has changed a lot.

He mumbles to himself, he hesitates to ask for things, he stares at a spot in the room for minutes until Dream calls him.

That is at least a concern.

He doesn't ask what happened, he prefers to leave Tommy right first.

The youngest blond leaves the house every day and only returns in the late afternoon, and Dream wonders what he does.

One of the days of his stay, Dream makes him go with him to the plantation and even with the complaints, Tommy goes with him.

"Where did you get that hoe?" he asks and Tommy chokes

"I did it... alone..." and he pushes the tool in his chest

"Why are you giving this to me? I already have mine"

"I... I thought... I thought you were going to collect an ..."

"It's yours, Tommy, I won't take that away from you"

And it scares Dream when Tommy faces him, discredited

During the day, he patiently teaches Tommy how to take care of the plantation, but Tommy doesn’t seem so interested.

"Why do we need to do this?"

"Because it's our food and I prefer not to do it all from now on"

"You are using me"

"No, it's more like... I plant what I want to eat and you plant what you want to eat"

"But this is sooooooo boring..." and he groans, lying on the ground, and in a moment with both of them in silence, Tommy stands up and mumbles "sorry ..."

Dream looks at him confused, but Tommy goes back to the task, still discouraged, but very focused.

"I was going to make a deal with you"

"A deal?"

"Yeah, if you help me with the planting, I... hm" Dream looks at the sky "I try to sew a new shirt for you"

The teenager looks at him and bursts out laughing, Dream rolls his eyes.

"It's not even that difficult to sew a blouse!"

"That's because you weren't doing it from scratch. I gave up making one, but if you learn to plant it right, I try to make you a new shirt"

"Would you?"

"Sure, you really need new clothes"

"Shut up!"

Dream laughs like a kettle and he realizes he hasn't laughed like that in a long time either.

* * *

Tommy starts talking about revenge.

He talks about the discs and about destroying Technoblade.

Dream just makes a face and drinks his hot tea.

"I won’t help you with this, I will help you with many things, Tommy, but this is not one of them"

He knows that the teenager is disappointed and angry, but Dream is not convinced.

He won’t give up what he has, not now.

* * *

Tommy seems to have moments of accumulated energy as well.

While Dream's case is about fighting and feeling he has to do something active, Tommy's case is more about boredom and choice.

So they fight.

It's not like a war, it's like a friendly sparring.

Dream doesn't have to fight at full strength and Tommy doesn't have to be afraid of dying.

Not that he was afraid of that

Dream teaches him new techniques without compromise

Gradually, he feels that Tommy is willing to be more friendly with Dream

Unfortunately, everything falls apart on a cloudy afternoon.

They were huddled in the living room, Dream focused on yet another failed attempt to finish his first outfit by hand and Tommy perched beside him, until a knock on the door scares them both. Tommy approaches the window and walks away from it violently, and shaking with nervousness

"Who is it?" Dream approaches and holds Tommy lightly by the shoulders

"It's Technoblade! He's here! He's... he's going to take me... he's... he's going..."

Dream guides him lightly to his room and makes him lie under the bed.

"Be silent and don't leave until I say the bar is clear" Tommy nods and Techno knocks on the door again.

Dream takes his mask, now dusty from disuse and opens the door.

"Dream" the monotone voice reminds him of times of war, times at home

"Technoblade, what do I owe the visit to?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing. You disappeared without a trace. Things aren’t the same without you" he walks into his cabin and Dream closes the door "What have you been doing?"

"I'm retired, you can tell"

"I see... listen, you probably don't know what's going on on the server, but I would like to know if you saw Tommy in that region"

"No, I didn't see him" the lie is automatic "I'm too far from home, he wouldn't come here"

Dream would ask why, but his instincts ask Tommy to tell the story and he prefers to get Techno out of his house as soon as possible.

"There is another request too" Techno says, inspecting the room and heading towards the corridor "I would like to form an alliance"

"An alliance?"

"To destroy L'manburg" he opens the door to his room and he holds his breath

The silence overtakes, Techno looks at the room again and closes the door. Dream sighs, stressed

"This may be against my principles as an anarchist, but as I said, I am retired and I don’t want to create another war"

"I see... well, but I'll be back if you change your mind"

"Text me before you come. You scared me"

Techno laughs and goes to the door. He leaves the cabin and goes up to Carl.

"Text me if you see Tommy, I'm... worried, you know"

Dream knows it's a blatant lie, but he nods anyway

"Don't worry, I'll let you know"

And the pink is out of sight. Dream closes the door and enters the room.

"He's gone, Tommy. You can leave"

Nothing happens and Dream bends down, looking under the bed and he finds Tommy lying on his back, looking at the bed frame with a glassy look and watery eyes.

The older blonde sits on the floor and hugs his knees, he doesn't try to reach Tommy, he knows that sometimes it makes it worse.

So he waits for Tommy to leave on his own.

"I ran away..." the boy whispers

"hm... and can I hear why?"

"They exiled me" Tommy says and wipes his eyes, but makes no move to leave "Tubbo exiled me and... it was so horrible... he... Techno was just..."

Dream remembers when he said that L'manburg would turn his back on Tommy, as in the story of Theseus.

But Dream doesn't say he warned him, in fact he says something like

"You are here, Tommy... you are here and I won’t let Techno drag you away"

Tommy nods and lets the crying escape, Dream takes his hand.

It is a promise silently sealed.

* * *

Over the weekend, Dream and Tommy travel to a village.

He is reunited with Markus and the children, and he introduces Tommy.

"Did you do what you promised?"

"I did... I have a house now"

"This is good... do you have a goal?"

"I don't think so... should I?"

"Not exactly, sometimes living is not always about achievement or goal, and more about just living"

"So why did you ask me?"

"I was just curious"

Dream plays with the kids while Tommy talks to Markus.

At the end of the day, he and Dream go home and find a sheep.

Tommy calls her Clementine

* * *

It is on a cold night that Dream makes her first outfit by hand.

He hands it to Tommy, who is confused.

"It was my part of the deal. You are always helping with the plantation, so it was my turn to keep my word"

The younger blonde hugs him out of nowhere and Dream hugs him back.

He's not close to making Tommy look good, but he's trying.

Dream has learned that he doesn't have to walk and he hopes Tommy learns to live in peace.


	7. Eyes of Ender part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one has ever seen Dream's face.
> 
> The hunter was a mystery, not even George and Sapnap saw his face, and everyone had a small hint of what he looked like under the mask.  
> Unfortunately they discover that seeing Dream's face can have dangerous consequences, but they will do anything to help their friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @WynWyn08
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (I had to split up in two chapters, I'm sorry ;-;)
> 
> Species List:
> 
> Dream- Ender Dragon hybrid  
> Technoblade- Human piglin  
> Captain Puffy e Tubbo- Ram hybrid (not related tho)  
> Ranboo- Enderman hybrid  
> Sam- Creeper hybrid  
> Fundy- Fox hybrid  
> Sapnap- Blaze hybrid  
> Bad- Demon  
> Antfrost- Cat hybrid
> 
> Eret- not human, but doesn't have a specific specie  
> Phil- not hybrid, but definitely not human (raven wings)  
> Quackity- not hybrid, but also not human (duck wings)
> 
> Karl- Human  
> Punz- Human  
> Niki- Human  
> George- Human  
> Tommy- Human

That had been a bad idea. Of course, Tommy always had horrible ideas, even though he didn't want to admit it, but now, that was the culmination.

One more thing added to the list of what not to do: Never, and I mean, never go in a ravine to mine until late, leave before the sun goes down.

They all had to cross the forest in the middle of the night with just a torch that was left, they were far from the server's lands.

Dream taking care of three teenagers, Ranboo, Tubbo and Tommy.

Perhaps the worst part was the horde of mobs that started chasing them.

Dream stayed behind to delay them while he, Tubbo and Ranboo ran to try to get home.

"What do we do?!" Ranboo asked breathlessly while still running, looking back and seeing the skeletons aiming at them.

"We hit back!" Tommy said, already drawing his sword, but Tubbo caught him by the wrist

"Dream told us to run! We can't fight them all!"

"What do you suggest? We're out of the compass!"

"Let's go hide somewhere!" the brunette said, dodging an arrow

"Guys..."

"We enter a cave and we are going to be surrounded by other mobs"

"Guys?"

"It is better to risk finding an empty cave than to be out here without protection!"

"Guys!"

"What?!" the two boys turned and stared at the crowd behind Ranboo

"That is what I was trying to warn you about!"

The endermans shouted and the three put their hands over their ears.

"Holy shit!"

They ran between the trees and the enderman split, purple patches spread through the forest.

"Ranboo! Try to talk to them!" Tommy screamed

"I prefer not to risk our lives right now!" Ranboo shouted back, glancing at the monsters that came at full speed, getting closer and closer

"Oh no!" Tubbo whimpered when the three braked against a smooth stone wall.

A dead end

"That's it! We are going to fight" Tommy ground his teeth and brandished his sword, Tubbo took his pickaxe from his belt, his hands shaking with fear, while Ranboo took off his trident.

There was no way this could work.

The endermans screamed and opened their jaws, making a sickening popping sound, as if they were breaking bones, they took their long arms and claws to the boys, who raised their weapons and wouldn't hesitate to attack.

They expected the attack, but it didn't come.

What came was a shadow in front of them.

Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo held their breath when they saw the enderman's claws scratching Dream right in the chest.

He was on his back and in front of them, his arms and body protecting the boys, his breathing was loud and labored. Purple dust surrounding the hunter.

Dream just groaned in pain, but it didn't fall or recoil, he actually screamed in a noise much like the enderman's.

**“Leave us alone!”**

The claws retracted and the enderman retreated, the noises started again

**“Child!”**

**“The queen is--”**

Dream answered them

**“I don't care. Just get out and don't hurt them”**

**“They are food!”**

**“They are not. They are my protégés”**

Tommy almost screamed when he recognized that they were talking.

Tubbo just opened his mouth, eyes wide and almost dropping the pick

Ranboo looked like he was going to pass out from fear

**“Protégés…”**

**“The queen is looking for you! She looks forward to your visit”**

**“The portal is blocked and you know it”**

**“Her whimpers echo in our minds, child”**

**“Find food elsewhere, but not here”**

The endermans retracted and stamped their feet on the ground, before disappearing into purple dust.

Dream sighed and fell to his knees on the floor, holding his chest, his sweatshirt now had a tear in his chest in addition to all the small tears of accidents with the monsters that remained inside the forest, he was grimy and stained with rotten and powdered blood, fortunately, the claws didn’t hurt him, but the other mobs did.

The three broke from the shock when Dream coughed

"Dream!" they screamed and helped the hunter to get up

"What the hell was that?" Tommy asked, pulling on his arm

"Scream one more time and they'll be back" he laughed weakly

"How did you know how to communicate with them?" Tubbo asked, guarding the pickaxe

"I know the language Ender, oddly enough"

“You need to teach us!” Tubbo says, excited and Dream laughs

“Maybe one day, Tubs, maybe one day”

"We better go home, they are going to be worried" Ranboo says and Tommy nods

“I can sense Phil’s anxiety from here”

The four walk in silence, with Dream guiding them from behind 

Ranboo thinks about the words Dream said, but he doesn’t ask about it to him

Inside the florest, eyes watch them with curiosity

* * *

**_"She's looking forward to your visit, child"_** the older enderman's voice echoes in Dream's mind as he stares at the starry sky.

It is already dawn and Dream can't sleep, sharpening his weapons and murmuring songs in the now forgotten language.

Nobody would be there to ask its meaning

_**"The skies open in splendor"** _

_**"The eyes will open the way to the edge of the world"** _

_**"The gate buried under the eyes"** _

_**"And the beast protecting the floating island"** _

His humming was interrupted by a message on his communicator

_ [Technoblade: There is a group here] _

_ [Technoblade: We are in L'manburg] _

Dream frowns and teleports to the floor, putting on the hood and fixing the mask.

He walks in the bowels of the server, listening to the crickets and wondering who would be here at dawn.

When he arrives at the entrance to L'manburg, he finds Techno at the foot of the podium and still in pajamas and with a hooded jacket hiding his head, he approaches the piglin who looks very annoyed at being woken up.

"What is happening?" he asks

"This traveling group needs a shelter" techno crosses his arms and yawns "I don't trust them"

"You hardly trust anyone" he laughs and Techno snorts, but his expressions are serious

"I'm not kidding about this, Dream" the two walk to the only house with lights on and voices coming from them "I've heard about these people, in a land of hybrids with Fundy, Phil, Ranboo and more, this will not end good"

Land of... hybrids?

Dream instinctively takes his hand to the axe and speeds up, with his friend following him until he opens the door and interrupts the meeting.

"Ah, Dream!" Tubbo greets him sleepily, with a hood in his head "Sorry, I didn't think I needed to bother you"

Actually almost everyone in the room are with hoods, except for Phil and Quackity

His gaze is focused on the seven strange people present in the room. There are four women and three men, all uniformed in a royal blue overcoat, decorated with wine red and gold accents, arms and armor well placed and the hunter's insignia burning their eyes.

"I'm still one of the server supervisors, Tubs, when it comes to this, it won't bother me" he says gently and sits between Tubbo and Tommy, Quackity and Fundy are propped up on each other's shoulders, almost asleep, Phil is leaning on Ranboo is writing everything down in a notebook.

When Techno closes the door, Dream feels suffocated.

"And who are these people?"

"Forgive me for rudeness" a man with black hair says "I am Damien, leader of the pack, and these are my fellow hunters"

"Hunters?" Phil asks

"Yes, We are hired to hunt, but the trip to the place was longer than it should have been" a blue-haired girl speaks and that seems to make Tubbo wake up.

"And who would you be?" the younger blonde asks the woman, narrowing her eyes

"Amélia, the second in command, and these are Diane, Ophélia and Helena"

Diane is a woman with platinum hair and stuck in a bun, Ophélia is a redhead and wears a side cut while Helena has short brown hair.

"I am Edward" one of the other men says, he wears glasses and has light brown hair and he points to the other man next to him, who appears to be the oldest, with blonde hair cut in a military style "This is Victor"

"And do you want a shelter to stay in?" Quackity asks, scratching his eyes

"Precisely, we are protecting regions. We stayed in the area for a few days and went out to another place, cleaning and keeping everything safe"

"Safe from what?" Techno asks

"Any type of causality" Victor says

Tubbo looks at all his friends

"I don't see why there is no reason to help. Are you leaving on what day?"

"We are leaving tomorrow, but if you can provide new resources, we would be thanked" Damien says and everyone nods

Dream wants to scream to get them out of his house, but nobody seems to object, and he knows that if he refuses, attention will automatically go to him. Techno seems to have the same reasoning, because he crosses his arms, wanting to say something, but doesn't say.

"I think you can stay" Tubbo says

"What do you need?" Tommy asks suspiciously

"Nothing much, just food and water only" Diane says and Helena pokes her

"And information, but we'll get to it later"

"Do you have a place to occupy them, Fundy?" Tubbo turns around

"I think so, the top floor is empty and I can stay with Phil if it is better"

"Excellent! We are sorry to bother you late at night, but it was out of necessity, you know," Amelia says and Damien smiles gently

"There is no problem" Tubbo extends his hand and each hunter shakes it "I am Tubbo, president of L'manburg, and these are Tommy, Quackity, Fundy, Phil, Ranboo, Technoblade and Dream"

"Exotic names, isn't it?" Edward says

"You could say that" Phil smiles, a little nervous

Dream knows that he knows who these people are

"I think we're done here. I want to go back to sleep" Quackity says and Ranboo agrees

"Fundy can show you where you are staying" Tubbo opens the door and everyone leaves, Dream walks a few steps in the opposite direction.

"Big D?" Tommy calls out to him and he turns to face him "Where are you going?"

"Well, everything is settled, so I will go back to my home"

"If you say so…”

"Good Night, Tommy”

“Night, Dream” and the boy returns to the group, Dream hopes that no one will see him and disappear into purple dust.

When he is far enough away not to be followed, he opens the communicator and sends a message to the main group.

_ [Dream: Bad, Ant, Sam, Sapnap, Puffy, Eret] _

_ [Dream: There are hunters here] _

_ [Dream: Everyone who isn’t technically human, please hide your faces and heads if you need to, but don't reveal who you are] _

_ [Dream: The hunters are four women and three men, they have a specific badge and you will know when you look at it] _

_ [Sapnap: Dream, what's going on?] _

_ [BadBoyHalo: Why are you texting at this hour?] _

_ [Eret: Is everything okay?] _

_ [Dream: Trust me] _

And he closes the communicator without further explanation, Dream teleports to the community home.

Despair is growing in his chest. Dream knows what they are looking for and he can’t risk the life of his entire family because he is what he is.

He sighs and prepares a backpack with supplies, he doesn't know how long he will be gone and he doesn't know if they noticed and will follow him.

He knows that there is no other choice.

* * *

Hunters stay on the server for two days.

After Dream's strange message and his disappearance, everyone was confused, but they followed his friend's instructions and practically all of them wore hoods and masks, except for those who were human and who only had wings to hide.

No one had asked, but in general agreement, everyone kept an eye on the visitors.

On the second night, everyone gathered at the community house.

"Why don't they go away?" Karl asks sitting on a chest

"Dream disappeared two days ago, does anyone know where he went?" Sam says, sitting in the same chest

"I saw him after we talked to the hunters, but after that, I didn't see him" Tommy reports, sitting on the floor

"Tubbo, you need to kick them out"

"I don't know if I can do this, Ant, they didn't do any harm"

"They promised to stay only one night!"

"They give me goosebumps"

"Why did Dream ask us all to use this?" Puffy asks, straightening her hood

Bad, Sam, Phil and Techno look at each other, and that doesn't go unnoticed

"What's going on that you're not talking about?" Sapnap points an accusatory finger

"We only have a bad guess, but it doesn't guarantee it's true"

"Dream is kind of paranoid about it" Bad says, scratching the back of his neck

"What guess?" Eret asks and the door to the community house is wide open

The hunters all enter together and Damien approaches Tubbo.

"We are sorry for taking so long to stay, Mr. President, but don't worry, we are leaving"

"We got our information and we won't bother," Edward says and all the hunters start to leave, until Tommy screams

"What did you do with Green Man?" everyone's eyes widen and Techno puts his hand over the blonde's mouth

"What was that?" Amelia asks and everyone looks at each other

"Uh... what Tommy meant is that a friend of ours is missing and we would like to know if you know why" Niki starts, nervously kind

Damien sighs and the hunters stand upright.

"I admit that we weren't sincere with you at the beginning of our stay, and we have a hunch as to why your 'friend' ran away"

"Run away? Why would Dream run away?" George asks, fixing his glasses on his face

"You are hybrid hunters, aren't you?" Punz asks accusingly and everyone freezes

They were sheltering hunters in their home.

"Precisely, young man. We help to protect from these creatures and freaks"

"What does this have to do with Dream disappearing?" Fundy asks, gritting his teeth, annoyed

'We think your friend has been lying to you'

"We have been looking for a rare hybrid for 15 years, a unique hybrid can be said"

"An Ender hybrid"

Everyone tries not to look at Ranboo, who winces.

"Unlike the half-endermans, this hybrid we are looking for is the creation of the Ender Dragon"

"Dream isn't a hybrid, we would know!" Tommy says, but Techno covers his mouth again

"Do you know why your friend wears a mask?"

"He doesn't like to be seen, and it's not like we bother in any way, we respect his request" Puffy says and everyone agrees

"If you saw his face, you would instantly know that he isn't a human"

"Okay, suppose Dream is really a Dragon Ender hybrid. Why do you want to hunt him?" Eret asks and Damien sighs

"He is a dangerous being and the only one who can take us to The End"

"The end? But... the portals don't exist anymore, they were destroyed"

"Everything you need to know, Mr. President..." Edward interrupts the questioning session rudely "Is that we are hunting him because he is dangerous"

"You really don't think we're going to let you hunt down our friend, do you?"

"I don't see how you can stop us. We are blocking the way out..."

Everyone stays on the offensive, some already have their weapons in hand

"Please, did you really think that these hoods and masks are enough? We are hunters for a reason, we know how to track beings like you"

"Lucky for you, we aren't hunting for hybrids like these" Amelia points to Techno, Bad, Ranboo, Sapnap and Sam "But we won't hesitate to do so if you get in our way"

"I think that's enough of threats" Damien says and the hunters go outside, until he stops at the door "One more thing..."

He stares at everyone with dark eyes

"We will know if they are following us"

And slams the door

* * *

"What the fuck was that?!" Tommy screams and lets go of Techno, who just grunts in response

"Language!" Bad says

"It can't possibly be true, can it?" Tubbo asks no one in particular

"I should have known about these guys!" Fundy groans, frustrated "Wilbur kept asking me to be careful as a child, but I never saw these uniforms in my entire life"

"George, Sapnap, Bad, tell me you guys knew about this" Sam says and the three deny

"We thought you knew, since he sees you as a father or something" Sapnap replies

"Punz, how did you know about these hunters?" George asks and Punz shrugs

"He commented years ago, but my mind registered" and he stares at Phil "Did you know about the hunters?"

"I felt there was something wrong when they commented on our names, but... I ignored it"

"What do we do now?" Niki asks and everyone is silent

"It makes no sense"

Everyone stares Technoblade

"They want to hunt Dream to open the portal, but as Tubbo said, they were destroyed"

"Not exactly" Ranboo murmurs

"What do you mean?"

"Dream told the enderman that the portal was blocked, but not destroyed. It's two different things"

"Did you know what the endermans were talking to Dream about ?!" Tommy screams and everyone frowns

"Dream was talking to endermans?"

"He saved us from them" Tubbo explains and turns to the half-enderman "Did you take notes?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course" he flips through a few pages "The phrases I wrote down are: Child, she looks forward to your visit, they are my protégés, the portal is blocked and you know it, her whimpers echoes in our minds, child"

"These are the most important ones, the rest were about food and about letting us live"

"Why do they want to open the portal?"

"And does it matter?" Sapnap knocks on the angry chest "What matters is that we have to find Dream before the hunters and bring it home"

"Sapnap is right" Ant says and George, Puffy, Punz and Bad nod "We are wasting time and we need to do something"

"But how do we track him? I mean, Dream is a hunter and strategist above all" Quackity says "He knows how to get out of sight"

"Sam, do you still have that?" George asks and the creeper nods

"I fixed it last week"

"What is it?" Phil asks as Sam goes outside

"Do you know our Manhunt sessions?" Ant asks and everyone nods "We use a special compass to track Dream, he has a magnetite stone hidden in his jacket"

"But how do we know that he won't take it away?" Tommy asks and Bad gives a wink

"We sewed it while he was sleeping, he has no idea we have a compass"

"On here!" Sam comes back with the compass and everyone gathers to see the red pointer, pointing towards the north

"If he didn't have the stone, the pointer would be spinning without direction" Sapnap smiles "We have a chance!"

“Let’s go find Dream!”


	8. Eyes of Ender part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is being hunted and its primordial home may be in danger.
> 
> Meanwhile, the SMP look for their friend with the help of the compass and the strange knowledge of the endermans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @WynWyn08
> 
> Also, this is the part two
> 
> (I'm terrible at writing fight scenes, I'm so sorry ;-;)

Dream held the axe firmly and waited, listening to the silence.

Nothing moved for a few minutes, hearing only a river a few meters ahead.

He jumped off the branch just as an arrow hit the trunk where he was, Dream rolled on the ground and was in an attack position, two pearls hit the grass in front of him and two hunters appeared with the crossbows already loaded.

The arrows tore at the sleeve of his sweatshirt while Dream kicked the face of one of them, knocking it over and throwing the crossbow away. Diane landed and carried one more arrow, but Dream was faster and teleported towards her, pinning her to the ground and the axe blade almost glued to her neck.

But the hybrid only realized it was too late when the other five hunters came out of the shadows, swords drawn.

Edward and Ophélia helped Helena to her feet, who groaned, holding a hand to her bleeding nose.

"Come on, Ender, we don't need any more violence" Damien says, smiling and slightly opening his arms, sword in one hand.

Dream doesn’t answer, and everyone faces the smile made in the porcelain.

Diane squirms under him, she tries to knock him down, but Dream tightens his grip on the axe until a small red trail forms on her neck.

"I didn't know you were a murderer" Helena comments with a scorn on her face

'I am a hunter. I'm made for it, just like you too "Dream replies, now watching the hunter below him

Victor, Edward, Ophélia and Amélia aim their bows to his head.

"Get off our friend and we won't kill you"

"You wouldn't kill me, you need me"

"Wanna bet?" Amelia asks, the bowstring already tensioned

Nobody moves and the greenish takes a deep breath.

Dream disappears in purple dust and appears closer to the river, starting to run.

"Get him!" he hears one of them order and runs as if his life depends on it

His life is really depending on that, actually.

He jumps between the rocks of the wild river and begins to climb the clearing on the other side.

A crack of the crossbow being thrown echoes throughout the forest and Dream feels the loss of strength in his hands, a sharp pain in his shoulder and paralyzing his body. He widens his eyes when he realizes he's rolling on the grass and he hears the arrow in his shoulder breaking, with only the tip stuck in it.

The pain is more absurd than it should be and he can't move his fingers. He tries to take a deep breath, but he can't get enough air.

He can’t teleport.

The hunters' footsteps approach and force him to put his arms behind his back, he feels his wrists being sawed by a rope, Dream can't let go of their grip and it terrifies him.

"It’s a shame that we had to use this special arrow, but the moment came in hand" He feels two strong hands pull him by the forearm and his legs try to steady themselves on the grass.

Now he is face to face with Diane and Ophélia.

"Should we take the mask off?" Helena asks, her voice kind of faints because of her nose.

Diane smiles wickedly and brings her hands to his face, while Dream tries to push his head away in every way, but she steps on his feet and makes him stand still.

"Be quiet" he hears a soft click from the mask's beam loosening and the porcelain is off his face "Ugh... you're a freak"

And she punches him hard in the stomach, making Dream grunt and arch forward, coughing.

"This is for trying to cut my neck"

"I think it's enough" Damien says as he takes a hand in his hair, forcing Dream to look at his face "There's no doubt it's you"

"Go to hell" he says and Amélia smiles

"Our stop is another one, hybrid" and she holds him by the chin, almost being able to break his jaw "You will take us to the End"

"Do you have the eyes?" Edward asks, still holding Dream's arm, someone swings a bag, eyes twinkling inside him "Great"

"What do we do? Do we leave the arrowhead with the poison?" Ophélia asks and Damien sighs

"We will leave it there, the poison will only enter his body if he has it. Alias, congratulations on hitting him, hunter"

"We should go" Victor says "The less time we spend, the better"

"You're right” Amelia says and opens the bag, taking out one of the eyes that shines when she throws it up “Let's start"

* * *

"How much time left?" Tommy asks screaming, his voice seems shaky with the horse's movements

"Until we find something!" Bad shouts in response, holding the compass tightly while Ant guides the horse "So far, we're going in the right direction"

They were practically a day and a half running through the indeterminable forest. Almost all pairs on a horse, with Bad and Ant leading the way because they have the compass.

George and Sapnap followed at the same speed as Tommy and Tubbo, followed by Fundy, Niki and Ranboo, Techno, with Phil and Quackity flying over them.

Everyone else stayed on the server so it wouldn't be left unprotected if the hunters returned, with Eret and Sam in charge of the things.

"The direction is changing!" Bad exclaims "It's going west!"

"West?" Quackity asks "What's in the west?"

"We will only find out by seeing" Techno says "Phil!"

"Got it" and Phil flies higher up the trees, seeing if he can see anything

"We don't know how long to go" Ant says "I'm running out of hope if we don't find anything '

"We need to get our hopes up!" Tubbo says and Phil goes down

"I couldn't see anything, there is a fog in that area"

"Fog?" Niki asks "It could be a swamp"

"Dream hates swamps," Sapnap says and George nods, adding, "It's too much water, it slows you down"

"Apparently that's where the compass is pointing"

"Wait, if he's heading towards a swamp, he's probably trying to slow someone down, right?" Tommy asks

"Or he's not going there because he wants to" Fundy mumbles, but nobody tries to think about it too much

* * *

It is almost night when Bad screams, causing everyone to stop abruptly, the horses neighing at the sudden stop.

"Bad, what the fuck?!" Tommy screams and Bad raises the compass

The pointer was rotating non-stop

"Did we... did we lose him?" George whispers, in disbelief

"No... there's no way, he wouldn't find out about the stone that easy" Sapnap says, hands tightening on the reins

"What do we do now?" Tubbo asks

Everyone is silent until Quackity is almost hit by an arrow.

Two skeletons appear from the shadows, but Techno kills them with crossbow shots

"We can't stay out here in the dark, we need to take shelter" Phil says, already seeing other mobs lurking among the trees

"But what about Dream?" Tommy asks and Phil shakes his head

"We can’t look for him in the dark and we have lost our direction"

"How are we going to find a cave?" Niki says, widening her eyes when some zombies approach the horses

"I think I know how" Ant says and guides the horse to run, almost making Bad fall "Follow me!"

"Let me know when you go running, you muffinhead!"

"Let's go!" Fundy says and everyone follows Ant, while Tubbo, Ranboo, Quackity and Phil try to keep the mobs as far away as possible

"There!" The cat hybrid points to a chain of hills and everyone can see the sun going down. Everyone enters the bowels of the hills and finds a cave large enough to house them, but not too deep to have a mob to attack them.

"I think we're fine here" Ant says, taking a lighter out of the inventory and lighting a torch, lighting everyone's faces

"What is our next step?" Quackity asks

"Finding anything that Dream might have left, if the stone isn't with him, he's probably without his sweatshirt, right?" Techno says

"He wouldn't take it off" George says "At least... not willingly"

"Do we continue in the direction we stopped?" Tubbo asks, but nobody knows how to answer that

Ranboo looks up and his gaze goes out of the cave.

"Ranboo?" Fundy calls him

The half-enderman doesn’t answer. A few minutes pass in silence until everyone hears an enderman's muffled jaw cracking in the depths of the forest.

Ranboo is already running out before anyone can stop him

"Ranboo!" Tubbo screams and gets up to go after him, automatically Tommy and Phil run, but for different reasons

"Tommy! Tubbo! Stop!" Phil spreads his wings and waves his arms in exasperation

Niki tries to go after the boys, but Techno stops her by the shoulder before advancing after them.

"Ranboo!" Tubbo screams again, but the young man is too focused on teleporting in one direction

"Ranboo!" Tommy screams too, but the effect is the same "What the hell is he doing?!"

"I don’t know!"

Ranboo suddenly stops and the two boys hold their breath when they see the enderman in front of them.

The enderman was hunched over towards the younger one, his claws exposed and his jaw open, snarling unrecognizable sounds, the being like everyone else of his kind was sickly thin, with black skin and eyes glowing purple in the darkness.

Ranboo takes a deep breath and he starts to groan very scary sounds.

**"Need help"**

**"What do you need, blood child?"**

**"Find friend, wear mask and green shirt. Queen's son"**

**"Find them both?"**

Ranboo hesitates

"Uh... **Yes! Find them both...?** "

The enderman stomps his foot and he disappears.

"Ranboo, what the fuck was that?!" Tommy shouts approaching next to Tubbo

"I thought... I thought about asking them about Dream... he'll find something"

Tubbo simply takes him and hugs him

"Please never do this again"

"I won’t"

"That's it! You three! Phil is going to kill you!" Technoblade appears, sword drawn "What was that, Ranboo?"

"I found information. About Dream"

"How the hell did you do that?"

"He spoke to the enderman, Big man" Tommy replies

"How is an enderman going to help us?"

As if someone had called him, the enderman returns and the two boys need to stop Techno from attacking the creature.

**"Blood child, I found what you wanted"** and he extends his claws, and hands over a sweatshirt and a mask

**"Thanks"** Ranboo replies in the same language, picking up the objects

**"The child is not far from here... there are invaders in the stronghold... they are with the child and killing us all"**

**"I'm sorry for hearing that… and thank you, we will stop them"**

The enderman disappears when the conversation is over and Ranboo turns around.

"I think we have problems..."

* * *

Dream remembers when he destroyed the portals.

He remembers his mother's last request, even though the two were not on good terms, he destroyed the portals for her.

All but this one apparently.

The hunters and he are all grouped at the foot of the stairs, waiting for Edward and Helena to finish fitting Ender's eyes. Along the way, they unfortunately met three more hunters, Will, Quentin and Allison.

Dream feels he can barely stand up if it weren't for Diane and Victor holding him.

The poison is still in his system, but the bastards were forcing him to drink healing potions. It was basically a cycle of healing and illness.

And as much as they are close to a lava pit, Dream feels cold to be without his sweatshirt and exposed without his mask.

When all eyes are fixed, a sound of thunder sounds in the catacombs and hunters push it.

"Activate the portal, Ender" Quentin orders and Dream looks at him with menacing eyes.

He doesn't have much of a choice, but he knows that they can't defeat her.

It's impossible

**"Open the gates leading to the void"** he roars

At first nothing happens, until a dark glow begins to swirl in empty space, like a spark in circles, and little by little, the dark glow shows white dots on its surface, like stars and another thunder sound in the depths of the fortress.

Damien and everyone else smile

"Perfect. Now, would you like to see your mother, hybrid?"

He hates how it sounds in his voice, but he doesn't even have time to respond when he is pushed again.

And it doesn't feel good.

It is as if he were falling into infinity, with no edge to grab and no ground to fall or teleport.

He doesn't know if he vomits, or passes out, but he is likely to do both.

Dream finally landed a few minutes later and he almost fell, if it weren't for being arrested and held. He allows himself to look up and see the dark sky, the void, and tall towers of obsidian rising as high as they can reach.

He was home after 15 years.

And that isn’t a good thing, at least, not now.

"Prepare the weapons" Amélie says and the hunters carry the beasts and swords, but Dream can't hide the giggle "What's so funny?"

"... nothing, I just think it's kind of naive of you"

"What do you mean?" Allison asks, curious and angry

"You guys are not going to defeat her, nobody did it"

"Well, I think we'll be the first, because we have a secret weapon" and his smile makes him shudder 

“What?” it’s Dream’s turn to ask

“If we kill you in front of her, she will die automatically”

Dream loses his breath 

"Not so fast!"

Dream turns around and he has never felt so relieved and scared at the same time in his life.

To say that everyone was surprised at the appearance of Dream was an understatement.

Dream looked like it had two different faces. His normal skin was pale and with freckles splashing across his face, neck and arms, his hair was dark blond and he had a sharp jaw. His other face wasn’t normal, it was black, and his freckles were white looking like a starry sky, and his eyes shone in two colors. His ‘normal’ eye was emerald green and the other was enchanted purple. His arms were covered with black scales in some parts, his fingertips were stained in black, his ears were slightly pointed and his teeth were sharp.

It was very clear that Dream wasn’t human.

"You! We warned you not to follow us!"

"We don't take orders from hunters!" Tommy screams

"Deliver Dream and we don't push you down the void" Techno threatens and he was serious

"I don't think you're in a position to say threats" Edward says smiling and fixing his glasses

"Wanna bet?" George asks, the bow aimed at his head

"There are ten against twelve people, one of them being the blood god and the angel of death themselves" Quackity says somberly "In addition to a very angry blaze hybrid"

Sapnap already had his hair slightly set on fire

"We have taken care of dangerous hybrids like you before, we are professionals for a reason" Will says arrogantly

A roar echoes in the air and everyone pales.

Dream uses that moment to use his remaining strength to stomp on Diane's foot.

He can’t teleport, but he will work with it.

With one arm loose, he punches Victor in the stomach and steals his sword. He hears an arrow flying overhead and hitting Ophelia on the shoulder.

Apparently, his friends went to the fight too.

The first to jump, not at all surprising, is Tommy who starts fighting with Quentin and Tubbo helps to break the hunter's defenses, the two fight as opposing forces, but at the same time complete each other.

Niki and George started to climb the nearest tower and they shoot arrows from above, some of the hunters dare to try to hit them, but Niki is the fastest.

Sapnap helps him in the fight and Dream is grateful to be able to lean on his back while they fight against Diane and Amélie.

Fundy and Quackity are getting along, hitting Helena hard, who is cowering on the shield.

Ranboo manages to make surprise attacks with his teleport, Bad and Ant are helping him with all the necessary strength.

But in fact, who are beating them all are Technoblade and Phil, obviously, if it weren't for the seemingly infinite stock of potions that each hunter has, it's likely that they would be coming home, with their bodies impaled on the sands at the end.

A roar, now louder, echoes once more above them and Dream almost has a heart attack.

It's her.

It’s his mother

Her body almost camouflages in the void, if it weren't for her purple eyes and the gray plaques running from her head to her tail. Her roar is the same and the same empowerment too.

Dream hears a scream and is taken out of his thoughts.

Damien is grabbing Tommy by the collar of his shirt, the boy swinging over the abism.

It seems that everything fell apart in a few seconds.

Everyone looks very tense at the scene, Quackity has been knocked out and Phil has his wings attached by the hunters, but he is about to free himself away.

Techno doesn't know who to focus on to save, just like everyone else.

"Try to shoot me and this child falls" Damien says and Niki and George reluctantly lower the bow.

Victor and Allison are dead bodies now.

Dream can't teleport and he knows that Ranboo couldn't be fast enough

"Hybrid, come here and I'll let the child go"

Dream doesn't even hesitate when he starts walking towards them.

Tommy's look is eerily disturbing.

"Yes... yes, now let's wait for her to appear"

None of them notice when the sand gets too weak with the steps.

And then the sand gives way under their feet and they are floorless.

Everyone screams in despair when the three fall.

It's like flying, but without the feeling of freedom, it's like feeling a stone in your stomach.

It’s like feeling you are going to die.

Dream is very afraid.

It has been many years since he used them.

There is no other option

The blonde dives towards the boy and hugs him tightly.

He feels like something is tearing his back, breaking his skin and extending his bones, but Dream forces himself more until he hears the tear in his shirt and he goes up.

He goes up and up until they are above the tallest obsidian tower.

Dream and Tommy fall against the rock and Dream feels like he is going to die of exhaustion.

He wonders when it was the last time he took a healing potion.

Tommy is clinging to him, eyes closed and shaking slightly.

"You can open your eyes now, Tommy"

The teenager opens them slowly, before letting go of Dream and screams.

"What the fuck was that?!"

He feels like everything hurts, but he forces a sincere smile.

"We better get down, I don't know if they realized that I got you"

Before Tommy could respond, Dream pulls him under the arms and crawls off the edge, flapping his dark wings and slowly descending to the safe ground.

Everyone runs over to Tommy and hugs him, Tubbo is sobbing violently and Phil is crying weakly in relief and fear, Fundy, Quackity, Niki and Ranboo hug him too. Before Dream can even set foot on the ground, George, Sapnap, Bad and Ant are squeezing him painfully in a group hug.

"Holy shit, don't do it again!" he doesn't know who said it and he doesn't know to who was directed, but he answers anyway

"We aren’t, don't worry"

"I thought you were dead!" Tubbo dives into Tommy's chest, who hugs him, sobbing

"I'm fine, Tubs. Big D has wings! For some reason"

"Wait... wings ?!" all eyes go to Dream and all gasp again

The wings were black and their outline was dark gray.

"Why did you never tell about this shit before ?!" Sapnap punches him in the shoulder and Dream groans in pain

"Don’t do it, please"

"What happened to you, nerdy?" Techno asks, his outfit is covered in blood and Dream doesn't question about more hunters' dead bodies behind him

He just smiles

"Just the good old poison with healing potion, you know how it is"

The piglin makes a face and Niki exclaims

"Poison?!"

"But I'm fine, don't worry" and he tries to stand on his own, but his knees almost give out and his friends grab him.

It seems the adrenaline is gone now.

"Definitely not at all well" George scoffs, but still worried

"You muffinhead, we were worried!"

"I'm sorry about that... I ran away thinking I could take the hunters away from the server, but I didn't count on you coming after me"

"We always go after you, Dream" Tubbo says, a little calmer and everyone nods

"Speaking of which, how did you find me?"

"The same way we found you at the manhunt" Ant jokes and Dream frowns

"What?"

"Dream, you better let me see the poison wound" Niki says approaching and Dream nods reluctantly before Quackity screams

"Uh... guys, we have a problem!"

They all instinctively look up and watch the Ender Dragon flying over them before landing on the ground in front of them.

Technoblade is the first to stand in front of the group, but Dream weakly stands and pushes his arm.

"What--"

"Dream--"

The blonde staggered slowly towards the dragon, who waits patiently for him, her purple eyes shining softly.

Dream falls to his knees before he can reach her, but she brings her snout closer to the hunter's fragile body.

She snorts warm against his stomach and Dream laughs like a little kid.

**"Dream... my child..."** he hears in his mind

**"Hi mom"** he replies in Ender language

He hears Ranboo gasp and everyone asks what Dream said but he just ignores it and enjoys the moment.

His mother continues to rub her snout on his stomach, like when he was a kid and his hair is messed up even more when she exhales against his face.

"What the fuck?!" he hears Tommy scream and Dream can bet everyone's wide-eyed

"This is a lie! Tell us this is a lie, Dream!" he hears George scream, but Dream smiles even more, eyes closed.

"Dream answer us!" Sapnap calls him

**"Do you want me to finish them off?"** his mother asks

"No, no... they are family" he says this in human language and stands up, his sore back against her face "Guys, I want you to meet my mother, the queen of The End"

Everyone's face is priceless, and even Techno has a face of pure shock.

"What? Didn't you see the resemblance?" he jokes, wheezing

"There's no way that is true!" Tubbo exclaims, eyes shining

"I think it was obvious after everything we discovered these days" Phil says laughing

**"Mom, these are Sapnap, Bad, George, Ant, Tommy, Tubbo, Niki, Ranboo, Fundy, Phil, Quackity and Technoblade"** he says that in his mother’s language and he hears people mutter something to Ranboo

"He is speaking our names"

"We definitely need to learn that language now!" Tubbo says, excited

"Hell, yes!" Tommy agrees and the two begin to plead with Ranboo, who seems too clumsy to say anything

**"Welcome back, my child"**

**"Thank you mom"**


	9. Self-Indulgence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream knows that Wilbur is doing drugs and that this is a bad sign.
> 
> What he didn't know is that Tommy and Tubbo are in this mess too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title and request are by @Umemusice
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> I made some modifications (not in the prompt, of course, but in the canon universe)
> 
> -It's not only Tommy, Tubbo and Wilbur that started the drug van, but every canon L'manbergian (Fundy, Jack, Eret, Niki).
> 
> *Also, @Umemusice explained to me the basics about tolerance and the effects, so I want to thank them about that too. I had to research more information, so I'm sorry if some information seems unclear or wrong, tell me my mistakes so I can fix them, please

When Dream received the news that Wilbur created a drug van, he had to get everyone out of the room to be alone.

He sat on the crafting table and tightened his arms under his green sweatshirt, feeling his skin start to itch and burn as if he had taken a new bottle.

It had been five months since an accidental relapse.

He almost screamed in despair when Sapnap tossed that bottle as a stupid joke, the poison spreading in the air around him.

He had been out of use for so long that it seemed like all his efforts to end it went down the drain, he was only stable for two and a half weeks, faking illness.

He sighed, getting up and opening the door to go to this supposed van.

He needed to check if Ant was serious.

It was further away from the community home, a van in the middle of nowhere, he smelled the smoke coming from her and fixed the mask.

Before he could knock on the door, Tubbo kicked the door, trying to balance several glass bottles and Dream caught him in time.

"Oh! Hello Dream!" the boy greeted him

"Uh... hello Tubbo. Do you know if Wilbur is here?" he was very confused why the boy was here.

"He's in the back with Tommy"

Tommy?

"Thank you Tubbo, and be careful with these bottles"

"I will, bye Dream!" and the boy goes down the stairs, sitting a little further away with the bottles.

Dream got into the van and the smell of the drugs almost knocked him out, the smell was acid and poisonous from the aggressive potions, mixed with the sweet, soft smell of the friendly potions. He knocked on the second door leading to the laboratory and waited for someone to answer.

"Coming!" a voice with a British accent came and the door opened, revealing Wilbur Soot with a yellow sweater and beanie on his head, his curly brown hair covering one of his eyes.

"Oh, Dream! To what do I owe your unexpected visit?" he was smiling a lot 

"Hey Big Man!" he heard Tommy's voice coming from the room and Dream was startled

"Hello Soot, Innit" the teenager winced, and Dream turned to face the taller "I need to talk to you"

"Speak now!" he didn’t understand

"Alone, Wilbur"

"Oh..."

"Hey! Why can't I stay here?" Tommy asked offended

"Let the adults talk, Tommy" Wilbur replied "Go help Tubbo"

The younger blond grunted and crashed into Dream when he passed the door, a few seconds later the van door was slammed hard.

"Now... can I know why you came here?" Wilbur said without malice, and returned to the lab, putting on rubber gloves.

"I heard you were doing some things away from the server and wanted to know if everything was okay"

"Ah, we wanted a good space to put the van in, I hope you don't mind" Wilbur put on goggles and looked for a golden carrot, crushing it into powder in the pestle "Hey, can you get a bottle of glowstone powder?"

Dream checked the countertops until he found a jar with luminous content, he handed it to the man who thanked him, taking a handful and putting it in the strange liquid.

"What are you doing?"

"Drugs, Dream... drugs" Wilbur said and Dream winced

He stirred the liquid until the powder was diluted and took it out of the potions holder, he held out the bottle to the admin "Here, taste it, I need to know if I made the right mix"

Dream looked cautiously at Soot and noticed some things he hadn't noticed before, like his veins were pink and his fingertips were slightly faded, almost disappearing, and his eyes, instead of being chocolate brown, had an orange illumination.

Health, Invisibility and Fire resistance

How long had he been doing this?

He felt goose bumps on his neck and felt his mouth go dry just thinking about what abstinence would be like for him.

"I... I prefer not to... I already took one of these today"

"You'll be losing" before Dream could stop him, Wilbur drank the liquid and dizzy for a few seconds, laughing "Wow! It works!"

His eyes went blue for a moment before they went back to the orange glow

"Wilbur, how long have you been doing drugs?" he asked in a more reproachful tone

"I think it took two months to find all the ingredients, but Tommy and Tubbo were perfect as help"

Dream froze and took the taller one by the shoulders

"What do you mean, Wilbur?"

"I invited Tommy to do drugs with me, and Tubbo ended up getting together sometime, I don't remember..."

Everything was silent for a few minutes and Dream stopped breathing

Wilbur Soot noticed this

"Uh... Drea--"

"WHAT THE FUCK WILBUR!" Dream screamed as loud as he could, making Wilbur wince

"What--"

"YOU INVITED TOMMY AND TUBBO TO DO DRUGS WITH YOU?!"

"Dream, you don't have to shout, what the hell?"

"No, Soot, what the hell is wrong with you!" he poked the brunette hard in the chest

"Dream, calm down"

"I'm not going to calm down! They're fucking kids, Wilbur. Kids!"

Dream was pissed off, no understatement

"Tommy and Tubbo are sixteen, Dream, they can make their own decisions alone!"

"Not when the story is drugs!" Dream stuttered nervously "You are telling me that you and they have been using drugs for two months! They are children! You shouldn't be doing this!"

"They could have denied it if they wanted to. You're talking like I put a sword against their neck and forced them to do it," Wilbur says, getting more serious.

"If you continue to do this, the effects will be worse than a sword against your throat. And the biggest problem is that Tommy is your little brother, Wilbur!"

"How do you know that, hm? How do you know it's that destructive, Dream?" he asks, approaching the masked man, the tallest one trying to press him

"Even an idiot knows how bad it is. Look at you! Your veins are so pink, your eye is almost orange, YOUR FINGERS ARE DISAPPEARING BECAUSE YOU ARE USING THESE SHITS!"

"I don't know how this is your business, Dream"

Dream grits his teeth and suppresses the urge to punch Wilbur, just grabbing him by the collar

"IT IS MY BUSINESS WHEN YOU ARE ON MY SERVER CAUSING DAMAGE TO YOURSELF AND TWO CHILDREN!"

"What is happening?'' The discussion is interrupted when Eret, Niki, Fundy, Jack, Tubbo and Tommy appear. The older ones carrying more ingredients.

More ingredients ...

No, no, no, no...

"Dream is here to 'monitor' us" Wilbur says, ironically and Dream stares at him "because apparently, he has a great feeling of greatness and thinks he can order us because he is the server admin"

What...?

"I didn't say that..." he whispers

"You said it yourself when you said 'it's my business when you're on my server'"

"And causing harm to yourself and to two children" he completed and pointed to Fundy "You are letting your own son do drugs, Wilbur, don't you see how disturbing it is?!"

"I chose to do this, Dream" Fundy replies, with a frown

"You chose because Wilbur gave the breach!"

"Are you going to forbid us to do this?" Tommy asked, annoyed "Just because the server is yours?"

Dream feels that he is blinking rapidly behind the mask, his fingers arch slightly and his breath is labored from screaming.

He wants them to listen to him so badly because he knows first-hand what the effects are.

"Yes!" he declares in ultimatum "You are going to stop this drug nonsense, or I will destroy it here by myself"

And he leaves among them, getting out of the van and walking on the dark lawn, already tonight when he is received by the clear air.

"HEY DREAM!" He hears Wilbur scream and the blonde turns to find them standing on top of the van, like a strange protest

"SUCK IT GREEN BOY!"

And Tommy throws something causing Dream to take an arm to protect his face.

He hears glass breaking on the floor and their laughter.

Dream can smell the poisonous acidic air..

He freezes in panic.

No, no, no, no, no, no...

The effect isn’t immediate, but it almost seems to knock him out.

Dream feels sick and almost staggers, the laughter is more distant now. He pulls the glove from his hands and sees the abnormally green veins that were erased, coming back to stand out on the pale skin.

He feels as if an arrow has been hit in his stomach.

And another sting, and another on his back, on his knee and legs, making him kneel on the floor. His skin itches again and it burns and he itches desperately over his green sweatshirt, the bile rises up his throat, he feels as if a hammer had hit his head.

His vision is blurred and he falls on the grass, vomiting when the poison gets stronger in his body, whatever amount of glowstone powder they used, exceeded their tolerance.

His body is in spasms and he cannot breathe, his chest is aching absurdly.

It is more frightening when he knows these sensations by heart.

Dream doesn't feel it when the group approaches running and worried.

He closes his eyes and stops breathing.

* * *

Dream doesn't know how he wakes up, but he feels unspeakably awful.

He can't open his eyes or his mouth, but he can hear.

He hears angry screams and a low cry in the background.

He is unconscious minutes later

The next time he wakes up, he may squint, but not hear or speak.

He sees a cold cloth being placed on his forehead.

The feeling is good that makes him close his eyes and sleep again

He doesn't know how much time has passed when he manages to open his mouth and cough.

He can't hear or see, but the smells come back.

"...He-- hello?" he asks in a hoarse and weak voice

He is received with the void and the dark.

He sighs and goes back to sleep.

  
  


The next time he wakes up, he is greeted with light and it disappears slowly, until he can see the wooden ceiling.

He was lying, buried in a sheet and the windows were open, allowing the wind to ventilate the room.

Dream lets his eyes wander into the room until he finds someone else in the room.

Wilbur is sitting on the floor almost beside him, his hair wet, a light gray blouse and reading a book, bottle-deep glasses on his face.

"Wil..."

The man turns quickly and gets up.

"You're awake..." he whispers, as if seeing an illusion.

"Yeah..." Dream says and a coughing fit makes him arch his body

"Ah, wait!" Wilbur says and takes a glass of water to his mouth.

Dream tries to sit up and takes the glass, drinking the liquid.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit" Dream says "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Almost three weeks"

"Hm..." Dream says and takes his hand to fix the mask out of habit, just to feel his hand touch his face.

He opens his eyes wide and Wilbur holds out the porcelain mask.

Dream catches it desperate and puts in his face, arranging the bundle behind his head.

Now he can face the brunette clearly. He looks tense, the veins are still pink, but they are faded, his eyes no longer have an orange glow, but are shining, and his fingers are fine.

Dream is relieved.

"Listen..." he starts, hesitantly "I... you almost killed us from the heart when you fell on the grass"

"I know..."

"And... we saw... the marks..."

Dream swallows dry

"I know..."

"Sapnap almost killed us when we brought you, I never heard him scream, Tubbo cried during the fight" Wilbur looks away "I want to apologize... Bad said you could have died if Eret and Niki hadn't convinced us to check you "

Oh...

"It was a lot of glowstone powder..."

Dream buzzes in agreement, because... what can he say?

"I'm so sorry Dream... I just... I was being a stubborn bastard"

"And without self-preservation" he murmurs, making the loudest laugh

"That too... we got rid of things, minus the van, I liked building it"

Dream laughs and looks at his arms. The veins are more noticeable in green, but not as when the poison is active. There are marks of skin bruised and corroded by poison and scratching.

"Can I know what happened? You don't have to tell, of course"

"I... I prefer to just let Bad know... neither George nor Sapnap know about it"

"I respect your decision" Wilbur says and goes to the door "Do you want me to call them? They were worried and Tommy wants to apologize"

"I think... I think I'm going to sleep some more... I can't keep my eyes open"

The brunette nods and closes the door, leaving him alone.

Dream throws himself back on the bed and closes his eyes, leaving himself in the silence.


	10. The smile, the bee and the disc (not a request)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Dream, Tommy and Tubbo against the world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not a request!
> 
> It's an idea I had and I wanted your opinions 
> 
> The requests are still open and people who already requested before can request again
> 
> Just letting you know
> 
> :)

Dream has always looked after Tommy and Tubbo like an older brother.

He taught them how to hunt, how to run away from zombies in any environment, how to track, how to take care of injuries and how to use weapons.

Dream taught them to survive

Tommy and Tubbo have been together for years, since before the apocalypse. They are brothers.

They had a family, they had Wilbur, Techno and Phil. But they lost them.

Dream is helping them to look for them.

He's a hunter, he knows how to find things and people.

They have been together for six years, but they never gave up hope.

As long as they are together, they will find their family

The world is a scary place, but Dream says that nothing will happen to them while he is standing.

* * *

Dream knows some people.

Tommy and Tubbo meet George, Bad, Sapnap, Ant, Punz and Sam.

They never met many people, but they are nice.

Sapnap is funny and a good fighter

George is a greater sniper

Bad is like a father

Punz is quiet but cool

Sam is like a father too, and he's an engineer, whatever that is

Ant is brave and knows many things

They know Dream from before the apocalypse

They ask about their family and after so many years, they have a clue.

There is a community called L'manburg, on the coast of the country

Tommy and Tubbo celebrate in joy

They were going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for Dream protecting Tommy and Tubbo (we don't have too much of that because canon!Dream is a bastard)


	11. Out of my head, stuck in my mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo freaks out after discovering the disc in the chest but Dadza and Techno can help
> 
> or
> 
> The voices are really useful to exorcize Dreamons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Directionally_Challenged
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it
> 
> (I'm kinda disappointed with myself, so... I'm sorry)
> 
> (Also, I don't know Techno's chat, this is based in another phrases I saw in other fanfics with the chat)

The first thing Phil noticed when he landed in the Arctic empire was the amount of earth piles behind Techno's hut.

The second was Ranboo's whispers.

"Ranboo?" Phil called to him, approaching what looked like a big hole dug out of desperation "Ranboo?"

Inside the hole, the half-enderman was lying on the ground, soiling his suit, and curled into a ball, shaking slightly and whispering incoherent words.

Phil jumped into the hole and tried to touch the young man's shoulder, who was startled and stepped back, crawling on the dirt wall.

"Hey! Hey! It's just me" Phil put his hands up, watching Ranboo start to hyperventilate "Ranboo, breathe!"

He continued to hyperventilate and put his hands through his hair.

"Ranboo, stop! Just breathe. Imitate me, okay?" and Phil inhaled slowly, held it for a few seconds, before exhaling slowly "Just watch me and try"

He repeated the same process three times before Ranboo started trying to breathe more calmly, little by little, his fingers became less tight until he released them completely. They stayed there for several minutes before the youngest calmed down to sigh and close his eyes, leaning his head on the earth, still shaking, but not on the verge of collapse.

"Better, mate?" Phil asked

"Yeah..." he replied, his voice fragile "I'm sorry"

"No need to apologize" he offered a gentle smile "I just ... want to know what happened"

"Oh ..." Ranboo just now seemed to realize that he was in a hole "I... I..."

"But what happened here?" the two were startled by Technoblade's voice from above.

The two stared at the pinglin, who was staring at them both with a grimace

"Phil, what are you doing in a hole and why is all this land turned upside down?"

"I'm sorry... I... I" Ranboo stammered "Oh god..."

He covered his face with his hands and groaned. Techno looked at him with an arched brow and Phil shrugged.

"Ranboo, not wanting to press you, but... why were you digging a hole?"

"To dig my grave..." he said, muffled by his hands "I... I don't know what's going on anymore, Phil"

"What do you mean?"

"I just want this to stop" he pointed to a chest half buried "I don't know how I got it"

Technoblade jumps into the hole with them and approaches the chest, opening it and taking the only item inside.

A music disc

The two stared at the object before turning to Ranboo, who was looking up at the sky and breathing weakly.

"I don't know... I don't know how it was there... he told me that I had... but I didn't want to believe it"

"Who is he?"

"I don't think you would... believe me. I don't even believe in myself anymore"

"Why don't you try?" Techno said sarcastically, but Ranboo sighed

"It's like... like a voice, in my head"

The older two look at each other

"A voice?"

"yeah... stopping to think now, I look like a lunatic, but it's real"

"Don't worry, Ranboo, you're not looking like a lunatic, I'm worried about why your voice said you had one of Tommy's records" Phil said, placing a hand on the hybrid's shoulder

"What did it say?" Techno asked, crossing his arms

"Uh... it said that I blew up the community house and that I... helped Dream get TNT to blow up L'manburg" he pressed his fist against his eye "And the worst thing is that I don't know if I did that's because he stole my memory book... or I gave it to him. Everything I did is written down there and I don't remember anything before the community house exploded "

"Who stole it?" Phil asked

"Dream. He... I don't know how he got it, but he got it and gave it to Tubbo, saying that I was a traitor for coming in contact with you"

"Did you always have that voice?"

"No... I don't know... but she started saying these things after you declared doomsday, I went to my panic room and... it started accusing me of blowing it up, then it started messing up my head saying it wasn't real. I just want it to stop "

"Did it ask you to do anything?" Techno question

"Just to start remembering... try to remember if I did it, really"

"We will try to help you, Ranboo" Phil said smiling, which Ranboo returned, but less openly

"Thanks, Phil"

"You need to get out of this hole. And put the earth back" Techno says, already going up and going straight to the cabin

"Come on. We can cover this place after we get this land out of you" Phil helps him to get up and they both go up, with the older one guiding him to the cabin too

* * *

"Do you think it will work?" Ranboo asks, facing the two in front of him.

The three were packed in Ranboo's panic room, with him holding the disc tightly.

"I don't know... you have more contact with the voice, Ranboo, but Techno and I will be here for support" Phil reassures him and Ranboo sighs

"OK.."

_ "You came back" _

The half-enderman shudders at the sudden echo in his head.

"yeah... I'm back"

_ "Did you find what Dream gave you?" _

"...I...I found it, but Dream didn't give it to me... it was randomly buried under my house"

_ "You think he didn't, but it's only because you don't remember. You need to remember" _

Ranboo's breath shook and he closed his eyes

"What are you?"

_ "I am you, another part of you" _

"But what are you in me? Like, you're my enderman part, you're my human part, I don't know"

_ "I'm just you, there's not much to explain" _

"Ranboo, are you listening to it?" Phil asks

"Yes, yes... I am"

_ "What are they doing here?" _

"They want to talk... I think"

_ "...this is going to be fun" _

"What?"

Before anything can happen, Ranboo feels his eyes close and his conscience disappear.

  
  


Phil and Techno watched Ranboo talk to himself before he closed his eyes and his head dropped to the side.

They didn't know if it was normal, but Phil was concerned.

Ranboo's eyes opened, but they were not the same green and red heterochromatic eyes, but purple eyes, like an enderman.

"I don't think we met" the voice sounded like Dream and it made them both stay alert

"What...? Dream?"

"No... I'm not Dream, even though I sound like him"

"But how...?"

"I think I spent a lot of time with him and Ranboo thinks a lot about his actions, so I expressed myself like this" Ranboo's head turned towards Technoblade, who had his hand on the sword's hilt "I never thought I would hear the god of blood and the voices that speak so much "

"What?"

"Don't pretend to be strange, I know about the voices, and you're famous everywhere out there, God of the Blood"

He gritted his teeth.

"Why are you possessing Ranboo?" Phil asks, bringing attention to him

"He's a fun toy after those amateur hunters kicked me out of my former host. I mean, Ranboo is perfect, he doesn't remember anything and I'm also curious about what's going on on that server"

"Can't you just watch what's going on without bothering him?"

"Not exactly... I need to take control of Ranbo to do anything and I have a strange feeling about it. I didn't lie to Ranboo when I said that Dream handed me the record, trusting him more in this state"

"What about TNT hidden in the chest?" Phil asked and he shrugged

"It was more of a stimulus, I want Ranbbo to find out what's going on. I don't know who blew up the community house, but I accused Ranboo because none of us remembers what happened"

"It doesn't make sense" Techno comments

"Maybe not, I like to play with Ranboo because the answers will come faster and because he is the only one I can do that. I would even try with Dream again, but I can't even influence him"

"You need to leave Ranboo, he is not a puppet" Phil says, already fed up with this situation

"And what fun would I get from that?" Ranboo smiles disturbingly

"I don't think you're in a position to suggest a deal"

"How can I not? I'm in control of him and anything..." a gun-shaped hand touches his temple "I can get rid of it if you try anything"

_ "Blood for the blood god" _

"What?"

_ "Oh he's in trouble" _

"What is happening?"

_ "Techno will kill you!" _

_ "L for Dreamon" _

_ "Blood for the blood god!" _

_ "Poor Ranboo" _

_ "L" _

_ "How is Techno going to kill a voice?" _

Ranboo (Dreamon?) Screamed in agony, putting his hands through his hair and gasping.

"What is happening?!"

Phil looked at Technoblade, whose eyes were closed, as if he were concentrating.

"This is hell!" he shouted and his voice seemed to be distorting "Stop!"

_ "Blood for the blood god" _

_ "L" _

_ "Why is he shouting?" _

_ "Dadza is confused lol" _

_ "What is happening?" _

_ "Is Ranboo okay?" _

He shouted again, now as if they were two different voices

_~~ "Stop!" ~~ _

_~~ "Stop!" ~~ _

_~~ "I am not leaving!" ~~ _

_~~ "I need to stay here!" ~~ _

_~~ "No!" ~~ _

And his eyes turned, turning white before the normal colors returned and Ranboo toppled forward, but Phil was faster and held him.

"W... what?"

"Hey, Ranboo... it's okay"

"What happened?"

"You passed out and we talked to your voice"

"Really?" Phil nodded "And how was it?"

"Curious, but we managed to get rid of him"

"But how?"

Phil and Ranboo looked at Technoblade, who opened his eyes.

"We take care of him for you. It turns out that the voices of the blood god are more powerful than Dreamons"

"Dreamons?" Ranboo looked confused. He looked at the record on the floor "What do we do with it?"

"I think we can think about it tomorrow, you must be feeling awful"

"Yeah... my head hurts and it feels like I'm going to pass out again, but for a different reason"

Techno looked a little concerned but Phil smiled at them both.

"Well, I think you'll be fine after we get home"

"I guess so. Thanks Phil, Techno"

"You're welcome"

"Let's get out of this room" Techno says, turning to exit the room, with Phil and Ranboo following him.


	12. Morality is overrated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Dream face each other again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @WynWyn08
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!

They were facing each other again.

Face to face, sword pointed and hands in pocket.

All the pieces were moved so that they could be like this again, in the final confrontation.

The hero and the puppeteer

The child and the villain

Now the question was who would perish first.

Tommy was panting, the sword trembling in his tired hands, his shoulder was throbbing and his face was surrounded by cuts, his light blond hair in a mess and dirty with smoke. The armor was already in pieces, with only the knee pads and one of the boots on his body.

The rest was left behind, like everyone.

Dream, unlike the other, had no weapon in his hand, only with his hands in his pocket, a defiant and carefree posture, the green sweatshirt almost ripped and the mask broken in parts, allowing one of the green eyes to be seen.

There is nothing he can lose now but his own life.

"Hello Tommy"

He didn't respond, already gritting his teeth and in a battle position.

It is such a strange position.

They can’t meet any other way. It's just about negotiations, blood, violence, discs, L'manburg, blackmail and chaos.

Dream can't help but sigh.

"I think we know where we're going from now on"

No answer, just dark blue eyes staring at him with the purest hatred and death wish.

"I may even be without weapons, but it doesn't mean that I will give up without a fight"

He’s lying. He isn’t going to fight, but he prefers to scare Tommy instead.

"Why are you so miserable?" Tommy lets go, not realizing when the words were in his mouth

Dream is silent with the question.

"Seriously, why? Is it so fun to see everyone dying or breaking because of you?" Tommy says, hands already red from holding the blade so tightly

The eldest doesn’t answer, now looking at the horizon beside them, dark clouds of smoke rising to the skies, darkening that cruel day more and increasing the possibility of a storm.

It's like January 6th again, but now... it's the entire server.

There is no way to fix it.

"ANSWER ME, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Tommy screams in the silence and Dream looks back at him.

"Will it really matter what I answer?" he replies, his voice calm and soft as velvet

It's disgusting and disturbing

"Tell me, Tommy, if I say my reasons, will that change anything? Will it make you look at me differently? Will it make you forgive me? Will it make all of this..." he opens his arms to the destruction "...go back to what it was?"

"Never" the boy responds and Dream nods

"So why do you want to know so much? Does it even matter when you want to kill me?"

"How can you live knowing that all this shit is your fault?" Tommy asked, taking a hand to his hair

Ah... so this is how he wants to play.

Dream wheezed.

He laughed and laughed, making the younger blond step back a few steps, alert for anything. It wasn't the same laugh as before, the same laugh he had before the wars started.

It looked more broken.

"Oh Tommy... My fault? I think we are forgetting some things out there"

Tommy frowned, his eyes trembled over the intense green glow, and the sword came out of his grip slightly.

"What? Are you really going to pretend innocence? You're being so much worse than me" Dream smiled and even though he couldn't see, the younger blond felt the poisonous smile

"I didn't do anything! You are the monster here! You are guilty of everything bad about this server"

Now he was angry. Dream fisted his hands inside his pockets and he closed his mouth in a thin line.

He has heard this speech before, and it remains painful regardless of the situation.

He remembers Quackity yelling at him, and it didn't even hurt because he was the one talking, but it hurt because there were two people involved in the discussion.

"I'm a monster, Tommy. And say it as often as you like if it's best for your little 'golden' heart, but it doesn't change the fact that you're almost crossing that line that separates me from you"

"What?" he was disbelieving

"Don't play the fool with me, it's worse than Tubbo" he commented, not hiding his anger "My turn to ask. How can you sleep at night knowing that you are basically making the same mistakes as me?"

"I AM NOT!" he squeezed the sword again and raised it

He got the point he wanted

"Oh, really?" he raised his eyebrow

"You manipulated people! You used everyone!"

"And you? Didn't you do that too?"

"I didn't--"

"Do you remember Techno's speech, Tommy? Because I do"

"I-- I... he destroyed L'manburg!"

"Wilbur did the same thing and technically, you did the same thing"

"I DON’T!"

"If you had obeyed, this war wouldn’t have gone so far. If you had valued everything else instead of the discs, none of this would have happened"

"YOU WANTED THE DISCS TOO!"

"I know... but you could have been so much better than me at this" he took a step towards Tommy, who pointed his sword "Ah Tommy, you could have been so much better than me. Unlike me, you had so many things to lose... and I didn't even take them from you. You did this to yourself"

"You could have been such a good friend to Tubbo, to Technoblade, to everyone, you could have done everything right and we wouldn't be here. You would have your family and you wouldn't be just like me"

"But, no, you wasted all this for nothing! I was already out of the light, but you Tommy... you had hopes of being happy, of having a home and having peace"

"What are you saying, Dream?" he was confused now

"You say you aren’t like me, you call yourself a hero when you caused all this destruction because of betrayal, because of disorder, because you wanted to be a child and try to stand above others"

"But let me tell you something. There is no good or bad, black or white, hero or villain; there are only the naive and the opportunists. And both of us, Tommy, are opportunists"

"No, I don't--" he looked at his sword and Dream took another step forward

"You despised Eret when he betrayed you during the war, but what did you do at the community house, huh? You betrayed Techno and then yelled at him, but you were the one who got it wrong first"

"Stop..."

"You say I used George and Sapnap, and everyone else, but you even used Tubbo! He just wanted to build a snowy village in peace, Snowchester, I saw, a very beautiful place where he, a 17 year old child could live without worrying about a nation. Until you come in and say, we're going to wage a war against Dream. Besides, before you were exiled, you planned to use Techno against me and even after Tubbo said it was a bad idea, you tried do it anyway, until he exiled you "

"STOP!"

One more step

"You call me a blackmailer, but you used Spirit against me first? You say that I stole your records, but that you gave them to protect your own home. You gave them to me willingly, and when you got what you wanted, you wanted it back, even though it was a fair exchange "

"You say that I caused your exile, that I manipulated Tubbo, but you set George's house on fire" the name sounded bitter in your mouth "You say that I don't respect anyone, but you did everything you could to not suffer the consequences. You say that I helped destroy L'manburg, twice, and it's true, but in one of them, it was your fault!"

"STOP!" he screamed and Dream took two steps

"You blame Tubbo for protecting your own country, but you wanted to protect it too. You had a noble cause, I admit, but you got lost in your own goals and when someone stopped you from reaching you you blame the first person who is in front of you. You accused Tubbo, but I think you forgot that one day, you wanted to protect L'manburg too"

"When Niki and Sam asked you to swear on your records, that you didn't destroy the community home, you couldn't do it. You were lying, weren't you?"

"I AM NOT THE VILLAIN! I AM NOT YOU!"

"I don't think you heard me, Tommy. There are no villains here, just people with their own goals, some more destructive than others, people with friends and who will protect them at all costs. There is no black or white, only gray , but you want so badly to think that you’re a hero that it’s messing with your head "

He took more steps and Tommy knelt on the floor dropping his sword, paralized.

"What do you think will happen after that? The server, my home, our home, everyone else's home, is destroyed, everyone goes with their own group. Fundy has already given up and Niki doesn't want to know anymore, Ranboo, Phil and Techno have a family between them, Badlands are together, Quackity is going to do whatever he wants and George and Sapnap will be together, without me. And what about you and Tubbo? And when he gets tired of being a moral support mat? What will happen to you? "

"People get tired when they realize that friendship never meant anything, Tommy"

Now he was facing the teenager, watching him while Tommy had some tears in his eyes.

"Do you... do you want to be the bad guy so badly?" he whispered and Dream smiled

He wouldn't understand it now, maybe when he's really alone, he'll understand.

The man removed the broken mask from his face and bent down in front of Tommy, his eyes shining with dark sympathy and false kindness.

"You are always going to be a villain in someone’s eyes, so why not act like it?" Dream said "I cared a lot when called me a villain the first time, but when we were under that storm, above L'manburg and you called me a monster, I realized how insignificant that was. I stopped caring about your opinions a long time ago. If I have to be the bad guy, then so be it. I'd rather be that than be you"

Tommy looked at him with a face red with tears and a frown.

"I know my actions and I accepted what I did, while you are still here... broken, trying to lie to yourself that everything I just told you is a lie and that I am a villain. I know you, Tommy. I prefer to live with what I did and be hated than to be you, who are living a fantasy where the hero is you "

He pats Tommy's hair and gets up, leaving the mask on the floor.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I think it's now everyone by themselves" and he turned, walking away again.

Tommy held the grass tightly and raised his head, gritting his teeth and watching the greenish one come out.

He took the sword and ran as fast as he could. Dream felt a movement but it was not faster, being stabbed in the abdomen. Tommy began to press the sword with hatred, turning it slightly while Dream was vomiting crimson.

His green eyes turned gray and the teenager dropped his sword, panting and putting his hands in his hair, pulling it hard, he started to sob and cough.

He... he killed him.

The green bastard died

Why did he feel so empty, as if he was not satisfied?

He laughed bitterly

His eyes went back to the mask on the floor and he walked over to her, putting it on his face without caring about his hands dirty with red.

He fisted his hands and left the lawn, walking without looking back, the smell of metallic infested on his clothes.


	13. Because I got nothing else to lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream's friends try to make him wake up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title and the request are by @Blue rose
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it
> 
> (Also, I'm sorry for taking so long)

Each person in the room looks at the body on the bed. The chest rose and fell so weakly that one of them needed to check Dream's pulse.

He had been like that for a month, practically, in a disturbing state.

Nightmare did terrible things with Dream, the good thing is the demon is dead.

"We need to do something!" Sapnap got up from his chair, tired and worried.

"What do you want us to do?" Tommy asked, scowling

"I don't know! But we shouldn't wait for him to wake up like that, he's practically on the verge of death!"

"If some of us had paid attention, we wouldn't be in this situation," he murmured, but everyone heard and felt a fight coming.

"What do you mean?" Sapnap ground his teeth

"Exactly what you heard"

"Are you really going to blame us, Tommy?" George asked, in a cold tone "I mean, you should have noticed it too since you two were together in exile"

"And you should have realized that your friend was possessed by a fucking demon instead of throwing a tantrum over a crown!" Tommy screamed

"You son of a bitch!" Sapnap screamed and advanced, being held by Bad and Sam

"Language!"

"Do you really consider him a friend, really?!"

"Tommy, shut up!" Quackity screamed and put a hand over the teenager's mouth, and Tubbo tried to arrest him if he tried anything more drastic.

The two continued to shout offenses at each other, with people shouting louder for them to stop and trying to stop them from falling into each other's throats.

A very loud thump caused everyone to stop, putting their hands over their ears and facing Techno, arms crossed and standing, with Niki at his side, holding a book against the table.

"Thank you, Niki" the piglin thanked her calmly, and turned to the others, with a frightening tone  "Now, all of you, stop this bullshit and shut up, or I will expel you both out of this room permanently, and you know I'm serious. Was that clear?"

The boys swallowed and nodded, being released by their friends and sitting in their seats, still staring at each other with hatred.

"Am I interrupting something?" Everyone turns to the door where Phil is standing

"Hi!” he says and enters, with a book on his hands

"What is happening?" Puffy asked

"Did you find any more herbs?" Niki asked

"No, unfortunately" Phil replied, closing the door "But I found something interesting"

“What exactly?” Sapnap asked, narrowing his eyes, curious

"I was looking into my library for more medicines’ recipes to wake up Dream and I found a ritual”

"How is a ritual going to make him wake up?" Quackity asked

"It's a ritual of memories, we can get inside Dream's head and wake up his conscience" he opened the pages on the table and everyone took a look

"It is like two consciousnesses using the same body. While the Nightmare part took over his body, he forced the Dream part to 'sleep' in an inactive state, and he gets stuck inside his own mind, it's pretty confusing, but it is as if the mind is trapped within itself "Phil explained 

"Yeah ... it doesn't make a lot of sense” Tommy says

"It will make more sense in practice, I guarantee"

"What do we need to do?" Bad asked

"We need to hold hands around the person and whoever is doing the ritual needs to hold a person's personal item, we will dive into their memories and we need to follow a trail until they reach Dream consciousness"

"Is this going to make you wake up?" George asks distressed and Phil nods

"It has more chances than waiting for him to wake up on his own, but someone needs to stay here, in case something goes wrong and someone needs to blow out the candles. If one of them goes out, we are thrown back into the normal world."

"I can stay," Phil offered "I prefer to stay here, since I'm not close to Dream. So all of you who know him can look for him inside, besides I’m the one doing the ritual"

“I can stay too, someone needs to take care of Dream’s injuries” Niki says

"So are we all going?" Sam says and everyone in the room nods

"Let's bring Dream back" Eret says with determination

"Fundy, can you give me Dream’s mask?”

The hybrid nods, picking up the cracked mask and gives it to Phil. They all hold hands, each standing in front of a candle and watching Dream unconscious in bed.

They would fix it

"All ready?"

Everyone nodded and Phil sighed before reciting the words, closing his eyes.

_ "Dive in conscientia afficitur anima quaerere _

_ Thurs ambulant saw per memories _

_ Mentibus, aliquando separari, nunc in unum" _

_ (Dive into consciousness and search for the soul _

_ Walk the path through memories _

_ Minds, once separated, now together) _

And they plunged into the dark.

* * *

"Is everyone alright?"

"I think so. Are we in the water?"

"It worked?"

"What the hell. It's pitch black here!"

"Language!"

"Where are we?"

"I think we did it" Tubbo said, standing up and observing the environment.

It was really dark and everyone had their feet in shallow water, the only source of light they had was on the horizon, where it looked like someone was waiting for them.

"Who's that over there?" Eret asks, pointing at the light

"Is it Dream?" Puffy asked hopefully, helping Punz to get up

"I don't think so. It's a much smaller silhouette"

"Hey!" Tommy screams, echoing in the seemingly empty space

"Tommy, don't scream, we don't know what's in here or who they are" Techno scolds

"Is it Nightmare?"

"We killed Nightmare, there is no way he can be" Fundy explains and faces the small glow "But, I think it might have something to do with Dream"

The small glow begins to approach.

"What do we do now? We don't even have weapons if we need to fight"

"Wait! I can see now!" Bad exclaims "It's Dream!"

"What?!"

Everyone started to realize that the light had the silhouette of a child, smaller than Tommy and Tubbo, probably 6 or 7 years old, blond hair and green eyes were brighter, freckles decorated the body and there were no scars, there were no scars. mask and green sweatshirt became a jumpsuit over a white blouse.

"Dream...?" George whispers broken and Sapnap looks in shock

The child shakes his hand, not even he can explain.

"Do you know where the real Dream is?" Bad question and the small nod, waving to follow him

Everyone follows them, even though they are confused.

"Where are we going?" Tommy asked out loud, but the boy didn't answer

"Who is he? Is it like something about Nightmare?" Punz asked, suspicious

"I don't think he would put a child-shaped threat" Sam says

"I think it's something that he would definitely do"

"Maybe that's his soul" Tubbo says and everyone looks at him

"Nightmare's soul?" Eret joins the conversation

"No, I meant the Dream's soul. I read once that there are three things that exist in your mind, the soul, the memory and your consciousness"

"Each mind is different because they are different people, but it is very likely that each of these will manifest" Fundy explains

"Can one of these manifest itself as a forest?" Techno asked from the front

"What are you --- Holy shit!" Tommy shouted and everyone stared at the forest in front of them.

It was like a mirage, the void mixed with the colors until it disappeared and gave way to the dark green of the trees. From inside the forest, they could hear voices and Dream-child walked through the bushes.

"Do we follow him?" Quackity asked

"We won't find our Dream if we don't follow him" Sapnap said and before they could stop him, he went into the bushes

Techno grunted and followed, with Puffy, George and Bad close behind, and everyone else came in too, but more hesitantly. On the other side, there was a small clearing with a village, small houses grouped together, people talking, animals in the fields and farmers taking care of the plantations.

Dream-child waved at them, asking them to follow him.  When they all went down the hill, the boy guided them through more bushes.

_ T _ _ hey finally reached a giant tree in the middle of the forest. There was a little girl who had braided blond hair and green eyes. _

_ "Dream! Mom and Dad don't like it when you go up!" _

_ "Stop being boring, Drista!" there was a child just like him, looking down, hanging up the tree, looking exactly like Dream-child _

It seemed that Dream had a sister and he never told them that.

George, Bad and Sapnap looked like they had been stabbed.

"Does he... does he have a sister?" Sapnap asked out loud

"You didn't know?" Almost everyone asked at the same time

"He never mentioned any of that..."

"I'm starting to think we were never good friends for Dream..." George mumbled upset, but Dream-child came over and took their hands, shaking his head, looking sad about the statement 

_ "Ready or not there I go!" their eyes turned to the scene in front of them, now being a different time, Drista was no longer on the tree and Dream was running and searching each bush for his younger sister. _

_ "I got you!" Dream screamed and grabbed her from behind, giving her a hug and she laughed, trying to break free. _

_ "You cheated!" _

_ "I never cheat!" _

_ "Dream! Drista! It's getting late!" they heard a woman's voice approaching and Dream-child released George and Sapnap's hand. _

_ "Hi Mom!" The two children ran to the woman, who hugged them _

_ "Let's go home, your father is preparing a very delicious dinner tonight for the festival" they celebrate and disappear like ashes. _

Dream-child sighs and takes Puffy's hand, who widens her eyes in confusion, before being pulled down a path that led back to the village.

"What is he doing?!" Quackity asks exasperated

"I hope it has nothing to do with that smoke!" Eret says

"You must be kidding!"

_ The smell of smoke spreads over them, they watch the embers flying around the forest and screams from the village. _

_ The village, which looked prosperous and very well looked after, had been reduced to ashes and destruction. _

"What is happening?" Tubbo asked, but no one was able to answer it

_ They saw people running and corpses on the ground, blood staining the grass. Dream-child entered the middle of the village, still pulling Puffy desperately and the others followed her until they found a horrible scene. _

_ Dream was leaning against a wall, holding Drista against his chest, and crying. An older man, probably the father, held the same woman as before in his arms, an arrow buried in her chest. _

_ "Da-- dad--" a sob "why isn't mom waking up?" _

_ "Dream... I--" _

_ They heard voices approaching and Dream's father turned to the boy. _

_ "Dream, listen to me. Run away from here, take Drista with you and protect her, okay?" _

_ "Dad, no-- What about you?" _

_ The voices got louder _

_ "Go!" and the father pushed Dream towards the forest, at the same time, an arrow went through the man's head and his body fell to the ground, motionless _

_ The cry of anguish was all they heard before the forest disappeared and they went back to the dark. _

"So that's why he never told us about his parents" Punz whispers as Sam and Eret comfort Puffy

"If he didn't tell us about Drista..." Sapnap started, still shaken "Is it because something horrible happened?"

"It's likely..." Techno murmured

"Jeez... Big D went through a really horrible thing" Tommy says and Tubbo nods

"So this is why he hunts father figures?"

All eyes turn to Quackity

"Did you never notice?" the lost look says it all "Dream always got attached to all of us before Nightmare had him, especially in Bad, Sam and Puffy, like, come on, Puffy calls him duckling, you're like a mother to him"

"It's a mechanism against trauma" Fundy adds "Believe me... I know that

"If his reason for not telling us about Drista is the same way, I don't know what I'm going to do" George scratches his eyes

Dream-child scans the group, until he approaches Tommy and Tubbo and holds his hands

"What?" he pulls them back to walking "Hey! Let me go!"

"I think he's telling us to go with him" Tubbo says

"No shit, Sherlock, but he doesn't need to grab my wrist!"

"Let's go" Techno says and everyone nods, following the three children through the void

Dream-child guided them to another memory, still in a forest, but the vegetation was lighter green and the plateau could be seen on the other side of the river.

_ "Drista, be careful!" the same girl, now older, 8 or 9 years old, appearing among the trees, an arch hanging from her body _

_ "Don't worry!" she responds and walks back towards the river. _

_ "Dris-- I give up" Dream appeared right behind, looking 11 and 12 years old, also with a bow and an ax in his belt "You can't run like that!" _

_ "I can take care of myself" she mumbled, looking for fish _

_ "But you have to stay close! You can get hurt, or be attacked or--" _

_ "I get it," she turned, scowling, "You're scaring us off our food, Dream" _

_ "I'm just worried" _

_ "You worry too much" _

_ The scene moved to a darker place, a torch lighting the two children inside the cave. _

_ "We will be back" Dream says, already turning to leave _

_ "What? You promised that we would come in here when I grew up, I'm 12 now!" _

_ "And I am the oldest, we are not going to enter here Drista, it is very dangerous" _

_ "Everything is always dangerous for you. Where's my brother who climbed tall trees and didn't care about injuries?" _

_ Dream was quiet and Drista snorted. _

_ "Go away if you want, I'll explore!" and she ran out in the dark, holding the torch _

_ "Drista!" Dream ran after her, desperate. _

_ In a way to show that she was safe, Drista started shooting the mobs that appeared in her field of view, leaving dead bodies on the stone. _

_ "Drista, stop! You can't get in there!" _

_ She didn't answer and Dream forced herself to run faster. _

Dream-child tightened the grip on Tommy and Tubbo's hands

_ Drista and Dream continued to run, with him calling her over and over, but she always ignored him. _

_ Unfortunately, none of them saw the creeper until it was too late. _

_ The explosion was all they heard before the scene changed. _

_ They were near an old wooden hut, all locked and with a memorial on the garden side. _

_ Dream was there, a backpack on his back and arranging the flowers on the grave, a little sign indicating whose grave it was. _

_ Drista... _

They were all very sad and perplexed by the story so hidden that their friend had hidden it from all of them.

His friend had already suffered a lot even though he was young, he was younger than Tommy and Tubbo, who were always considered as the server's children and also Dream who most wanted to protect.

_ Dream took a last breath before getting up and picking up a piece of porcelain next to him, putting it on his face. The smile was the only expression seen. _

And the image disappeared in smoke.

"God... this is so fucked up..." Tommy said quietly and Bad didn't even bother to scold him

"Why did he never tell us about it?" Sapnap asked, feeling worse and worse, George hugged him

"Sap, it wasn't your fault" Punz says, interrupting him "It wasn't anyone's fault. What was our fault happened years after that"

"Yes, but I thought he trusted us..."

"He wanted to leave the past behind, that's why he created a new family" Techno said after so long in silence "As much as he trusted us, there are secrets that are really hard to tell, even for your close ones"

Sapnap was silent, before nodding and hugging George back.

"Are we going to have any more memories?" Sam asked Dream-child, who nodded

"I hope it's not a bad memory" Fundy says

Dream-child guided them through the void once more, until the dark was filled with forest.

The former memory hut was there.

"Are we repeating the same memory?" Quackity asks and the boy points to Dream, now 21, standing in the grave, exchanging flowers.

"No... we're not..." Bad says "Look"

_ Behind Dream appeared another being, with the same green sweatshirt and the same blond hair, but his eyes were purple. _

_ Nightmare. _

_ "You know, that was pretty pathetic. Did you think they would understand your side?" _

_ Dream was silent _

_ "They say you are no longer their friend, but they are being bad friends. I mean, George cared more about the crown" _

_ "Shut up" _

_ "Are you sure you don't want me to beat them up?" _

_ "I told you to shut up" _

_ "Come on Dream... I'm such a better company than them..." _

_ "Nightmare, I swear--" _

_ "They abandoned you... I don't know how blind you are" _

_ "They abandoned me because you possessed me, helped to blow up their house and exiled a child" _

_ "Tommy deserved it. You are just too nice because these kids remind you of Dri--" _

_ "Speak her name and I will go to the ends of hell to kill you" he said, green eyes shining in fury _

_ "You aren’t funny ... but you know, now that you told me ... it is a good thing that they abandoned you" _

_ Dream paused _

_ "What?" _

_ "They wouldn’t abandon you... if they were good friends, they would have realized you were possessed" _

That made viewers tense

_ Dream also got tense _

_ "Just accept that they are not your family and that's it" _

_ "They--” _

_ "You have no family, Dream" the demon says "Your family died a long time ago" _

"I swear I want to kill that son of a bitch again" Tommy mutters under his breath

_ "What would you know more about family, when you don't have one?" Dream says, acid and aggressive _

_ "Wow, you can be mean when you want to" he smiles "But I at least know family recognizes you, no matter if you're wearing a mask. Does your 'family' do that for you?" _

_ "That's enough! I'm going to ask Tubbo and Fundy to help me with you" Dream started to leave _

_ "And will they believe you?" Nightmare says, snapping his finger and Dream is forced to stop in place _

_ "Do you think that if you reach out to those hunters and say 'hey, remember that demon you couldn't exorcise, so he was always here and exiled your friend', will they help you?" Nightmare approaches Dream, who is wide-eyed and shivering in place _

_ "Would they believe that you, Dream, the creator of the server, can't even beat your own demon? You're really pathetic" Nightmare stared at Dream "Just sleep at once and let me do the job" _

_ “Why should I help you?” Dream forces his voice and Nightmare gets close to his face _

_ “Because **I** got nothing else to lose” he says, his eyes turning to green, looking exactly like Dream _

_ Dream closes his eyes against his own will and the specter of Nightmare disappears, entering their friend’s body. _

_ Dream’s green eyes now were purple. _

The memory faded into smoke once again

"That son of a bitch!" Tommy and Sapnap scream at the same time

"Language!" Bad says

"We... Would we have believed it if he had come for us?" Tubbo asks Fundy, who lowers his head

"I don't even know what we would do if Ranboo hadn't seen the signs in time" Puffy says

"We would have locked him in prison" Quackity says and Sam nods "Nightmare spoiled Dream's body trying to escape by fighting. The good thing is that you both knew the exorcism to stop him"

"Where's our Dream?" Techno asks Dream-child who points to a glow in the dark

And he smiles and disappears in white smoke

"Can we put this on our list of the strangest things that happened to us?" Tommy asks

"Definitely yes" Eret mutters

They approach Dream and everything comes back hard.

He is lying in the shallow water, shrinking his body and embracing a glowing orb. When they get closer, they realize that there are images in the orb.

Memories.

Memories of peace days on the server.

Happy memories

Memories of them with Dream, without struggles, just living and playing normally.

Bad, Sapnap and George are the first to approach

"Hey Dream?" Sapnap asks

Dream moves his head up, his eyes closed and he seems terrified, shrinking even more and starting whispering compulsively.

“Dream?” George asks, slightly sad “Dream, what’s wrong?”

“Stop… Nightmare, this isn’t funny! Just stop!” he screams and everyone realizes

Dream still thinks Nightmare is here, playing with his sanity.

“Dream… is just us… you need to wake up” Sam says but Dream shakes his head

“No… No, I don’t want to wake up! Just leave me alone! You have control now! Why do you want me to wake up?! To make me feel worse?! To torture me?! Just fucking stop!”

“Dream!”

He hugs his orb with more force, whispering again and breathing quickly. 

"Hey, Dream…” Bad starts calmly “do you remember when Sapnap almost died when we went to the Nether?"

Dream didn't respond for some minutes, but nodded slowly.

"He was screaming like a dolphin and complaining about that all the way” Bad laughed softly and everyone stared at him

“Trust me...” he whispered to the others

"Oh... um, Dream, do you remember when me and George got into a fight and when you went to split us up, George shot you and I called you dad?"

"I remember that, we were making fun of you all day" George smiles "There were also our victories in the tournament"

"I have one!" Tubbo says "There was a time that you helped me in the apiary and we were looking for bees all afternoon"

"The day before the Mangerg and Pogtopia war, I went to get resources and we stayed around in the nether" Tommy said and Dream’s breath slowed down slightly

"I remember when you started following me around the entire server" Puffy says, smiling "You became my duckling after that"

"And when we did that therapy session" Quackity says and many people look at him confused

"... and we imitate the bike with a boat" he murmurs, his grip on the orb getting a little weaker

"You always came to visit me because the castle was lonely" Eret smiles at the memory "Even on rainy days, or bad days, you were there"

"We went to see Sam when he was building his stuff, but he kept cursing us" Punz says and Sam makes a face

"You were interrupting me from working" Sam says "I was busy, but you insisted on playing with my stuff"

Dream smiles slightly

"I was very happy with the wedding. You didn't have to be part of the game, but you did and everything was going perfect" Fundy says and stares at George intensely "If it wasn't for a certain person"

"You ruined the day" Sapnap hits George on the back of the head

"Ow!"

"I... I really liked what you did... Fundy" Dream whispers and the fox smiles, gently

"You helped me with my buildings"

"We played with the tridents almost all night"

"I missed your kettle laugh"

"You caught us twice when we played Manhunt with Mexican Dream"

"It wasn't cool to be killed twice on the same day"

"You helped me with a lot of resources"

"We were doing karaoke!"

"Dream" Techno says suddenly, interrupting everyone, but Dream does not answer "You are one of the people we can count most on the server, you are everyone's friend here, and I admit that none of us can return the favor"

"What?" Dream looks confused "I--"

"You were one of the most annoying people I have ever met, thankfully not more annoying than Tommy"

"Hey!"

"But you were one of the few people who understood me, one of the few people who knew how to read me, one of the few people who stayed close to me because you wanted to stay... just for staying" Techno says and approaches Dream, who it seems less risky with them, but still with eyes closed "You stayed with each one of us because you wanted to, and we want you to come back so we can be with you"

"I... I don't want this to be a dream... I don't want to wake up and see… everything ruined..." he whispers the last part as he presses the orb once more and Bad puts his hands on top of his

"You will be fine, Dream... we won’t leave your side, we will be here and we will wait for you when you wake up"

"Come back with us" Sapnap says, almost crying "We screwed up and we want to fix it, I want to fix it"

"We weren't good friends for you, but..." George starts

"We'll make it up to you, Big D" Tommy says, getting closer and everyone else does the same, kneeling as close as they can

"We're taking care of you" Fundy says

"But... I failed... I failed you and..."

"You didn't fail, Dream" Puffy says, moving her hands through his hair "You were the strongest, you held out as long as you could, we saw it"

"You're not alone anymore, Dream" Quackity comforts, patting his knee

"Please come home" Tubbo whispers

"For the old days, friend" Punz says

"Take a deep breath..." Sam instructs "We know you're scared, but we're here for you"

Dream does what Sam asks and breathes weakly.

"...And wake up..." Eret whispers and his voice echoes through the void

* * *

When Dream opens his eyes, he stares at the wooden ceiling and feels the wind on his face for the first time in months.

"Oh..." he recognizes Phil's voice, he can't see but there's a smile on his face "Glad to know you woke up, Dream"


	14. The trees embrace me as their son part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is the guardian of the forest and the lands of the SMP
> 
> Unfortunately, his friends doesn't know that everything that affects the server, affects Dream too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @AlexAOxxxxx 
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (Also, this doesn't exactly follows the timeline)

Dream never knew how he was born.

He wasn't human, so he wasn't born by ordinary means, he only knows that he appeared in the forest and never left.

He grew up among the trees, jumping from river to river, taking care of animals and sleeping under the stars. He knows he's been here for a long time, but he doesn't care.

He created these lands and they created him.

Some people risked entering their land and returned confused, saying that there was a non-human boy in the forest playing with the wolves.

Dream once went to explore the lands outside the forest and found a village, where he first saw humans.

They were beings of different colors, different clothes, different eyes, different hair. They were all different.

Dream found this shape very interesting, he started to imitate the way humans acted.

Dream wasn’t human, his eyes were supernaturally green, always shining like stars, he had freckles all over his skin, and he also had mysterious tattoos, he doesn’t know why he has these. His hair is light blond and he has little wings in the sides of his head.

The humans looked strange at him, so he put on a smiling mask to hide it.

No one in the village paid much attention to him after that, as he was a child without manners and scruples, living wildly, so they just ignored him.

Years, decades and centuries passed and Dream, which stopped aging when it hit the body of a 20-year-old adult, decided he was bored. He created SMP as a silly pastime, he invited some people to live with him in his forest and to keep him company.

The first people who arrived were humans.

To be honest, Dream had stopped finding humans interesting, but he could live with that.

It turns out that George and Sapnap were interesting and Dream liked that.

"What is it?" he asks excited and curious as a 5 year old child, watching the sword in his hands, the blade shines against the sun

"It's a gift, duh" Sapnap scoffs

"We've been here for a year, and we wanted to give you a gift for being our friend" George explains

"We are friends?"

"Sure, but of course... only if you want to"

"Okay, so we're best friends!" he declares, happyly

They were his first friends.

George and Sapnap needed a house to live in and food, so they started hunting and collecting resources. Dream feels pains and cuts appearing mysteriously in his arms, he is quiet and endures the pain. George and Sapnap need resources.

That's what friends are for, right?

After some time being just the three, some other people started to appear like Sam, Bad, Callanhan, Alyssa, Ant and Punz.

His circle of friends grew and he discovered other human traditions.

"What do you mean, you don't celebrate a birthday ?!" Sapnap cried out in bewilderment

"I just... never saw it..." Dream had never even heard of birthdays in all of her centuries.

"Dream, how old are you?" Alyssa asks, narrowing her eyes

"He looks like a 20 year old" Sam guesses

"You're right" Punz agrees

"The way Dream acts, he looks like he's 15" Callanhan writes

"15?! Ha! Dream is a child! Like 5 or 6" George jokes

"I'm not!" Technically he was and at the same time he wasn't. He was never good with these things "I am 20 years old" he pouted under the mask

"Ok and when were you born?" Bad question

"Uh..." he really wasn't good with that stuff "August 12th"

"Did we miss your birthday?!" Sapnap screams again

"We need to celebrate yours!" Bad exclaimed and everyone agreed 'I can make the cake!'

"Guys... you really don't have to..."

"Come on Dream, everyone needs to celebrate their birthday"

Apparently now he would have his birthday every year on August 12th and according to the chronology, he is 21 now.

He doesn't really care, but his friends are happy and cake has become his favorite food.

He celebrates all his friends' birthdays and always laughs at the balloons and the games.

It's just them for a long time, until Wilbur, Fundy, Tommy and Tubbo show up, after them there's Eret, Niki and Ranboo, Quackity and Puffy.

It is a good addition, but he starts to feel a lot of pain and starts to pass out from fever in a few weeks. Coincidentally, the houses of others begin to rise.

But other than that, Dream is very happy that he now has more friends and he discovers that they can be something more.

"Wait, have you met Fundy before?" he asks Wilbur in one of his conversations

"Of course, Fundy is my son!"

"What is 'son'?"

"You... Dream, don't you know what ‘son’ is?" Wilbur asks and Dream feels embarrassed

"... no..."

Wilbur laughs like he's dying and Dream's mask stares at him impassively

"Oh god, Dream... do you even know what a family is?"

"...no"

He pauses

"What?"

"I don't know what a family is, Wilbur"

"Oh..." Wilbur suddenly feels terrible "Are you an orphan?"

"What is it?"

The brunette is silent

"I prefer to explain to you what family is, first"

"Oh... ok" he gets ready, curious to know what 'family' is

"Family are people you always count on. They will protect you and help you, even if you fight, you will still be connected"

"So they are friends?"

"Yes, but family is something more profound and friendships can end, but when you are a family, nothing takes away that connection, no matter what happens"

"Can everyone be a family?"

"Yes, it doesn't necessarily have to be blood ties"

"So can you be my family?" Wilbur nods "Can everyone be a family?"

"Of course, Dream" he smiles and Dream smiles under the mask "We are family"

After that it only went downhill.

Wilbur seemed so focused on creating a drug van and being independent of everyone else, it left Dream confused.

Aren't they supposed to be together?

When the war broke out, he had felt horrible for days, especially when Sapnap set fire to the forest and they blew up L'manburg.

Dream couldn't get out of bed because of the pain he was feeling.

After that, Schlatt won the election and Wilbur and Tommy were exiled. Technoblade joined them and Dream knew instantly that he was not human.

He was like him.

Dream helped them as much as possible, but one day Wilbur arrived with an unusual deal.

"Give me all the TNT you have" he asked, both meeting in a cave near Pogtopia, both being lit by a single torch

"Why do I need to do this?" Dream asks, hands shaking slightly at the thought of the explosion

"We are family, Dream..." Wilbur says sweetly, an insane sparkle in his eyes that makes Dream retreat "You said it yourself. And family helps each other even if we have had fights in the past. You wouldn't refuse a family request, right? "

"Wilbur... this is dangerous..."

"Oh, I see... you say we are family, but when it involves land, you turn your back"

"That isn't--"

"I thought we were family! I thought you understood me..."

They are silent and Dream sighs, delivering the explosives.

Dream is afraid, but Wilbur is his family, they said before.

Maybe he's naive, but Dream was never a human.

He has never really been corrupted.

Tubbo is blown up at the festival and Dream knows he needs to do something, but Schlatt has a card up his sleeve.

"I know you are not human, Dream"

He stops and turns to face the ram.

"And I know that if something happens to your precious land, you feel it too"

"I don't care about your games, get this Manberg thing over with, now!"

"Should I? I mean, if I set this place on fire, you die and if it doesn't work... I can go after your friends like I did with Tubbo"

Dream sighs, it seems that even non-human beings are free from corruption.

"What do you want?"

"You already know what I want" Schlatt says and drinks some of his amber drink

Dream leaves the room.

They are going to have another war and it doesn't need to be a guardian to know that.

Dream fights with the dictator, he fights his family again, but now, he swears he'll be the last. When Pogtopia wins, Wilbur and Tommy enter a stalemate. The two don't want to be president.

Wilbur chooses Tubbo, a child to rule L'manburg.

Dream loves Tubbo and he knows it is not right to put all that power in the hands of a 16 year old.

Techno starts an attack, he is an anarchist, he has his principles and his brothers set up a government in front of him, which is against all his principles.

Dream understands him, but at the same time he doesn't understand.

A horrible sensation takes over his body at the same time that the ground shakes.

Wilbur...

At the same time that the explosions start, Dream shrieks in pain, the sickening sound extending all over his land.

The pain expands and contracts inside his ribs, he cries and sobs, hugging himself and feeling all his forces spin in an uncontrolled whirlwind.

It hurts

It hurts

It hurts

The porcelain mask is broken, his eyes shining in green light like frightening headlights, from his back dark green vines start to emerge that extend his body in the air.

It hurts everything

Techno lights the withers and everything explodes once again.

Dream feels that he will explode with so much pain and more vines are growing, now coming out of his hood and sleeves. They enter the crater and curl up in the rocks, each charged explosion causes thorns to form in the vines.

But it is too late when everyone sees that his friend is already lost, the pain of the server tearing him inside and out.

The pain corrupted him, just like his entire land.

  
  
  
  



	15. The dark vines part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is sick, but it's too late when everyone finds out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Gachawatermelon396
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it  
> Tell me if you liked it with this changes, but if you don't, I will rewrite it
> 
> (I made some changes to coordinate with Dream motivations:
> 
> -Dream doesn't mention the discs and he doesn't say 'I don't care about anything in this server' during his discurse to Tommy (that one when they are close to the obsidian wall)
> 
> -George doesn't become king, Eret has always been king, but Quackity, Sapnap and Karl try to riot Eret and make El Rapids independent, with George as their king
> 
> -George, Sapnap and Dream's fight happens after that
> 
> -Dream doesn't manipulates Tommy, but exiles him. Tommy goes to Technoblade anyway
> 
> -The Pandora Box doesn't exist
> 
> -Dream was in Schlatt side because he wanted to kill him, because he was making him (Dream) sick, but the Manberg and Pogtopia war happens before he can do that, then he 'surrenders' himself and bring Pogtopia to Schlatt, to them kill him. Schlatt dies from heart attack nonetheless
> 
> -Bad, Phil and Dream are admins, but Dream is the Dream SMP's admin
> 
> -The admins have voices, they alert the admins when something is wrong
> 
> -Dream thinks Tommy destroyed the community house, but the community house was destroyed because Dream was being corrupted by the sickness, so the server was being corrupted too
> 
> -Healing potions are only good when taken just a little bit, if you take an entire bottle, it feels you're okay, but your body gets overwhelmed and it's really easy to addict to them
> 
> -Discord isn't about the Discord calls)

It is not known when this plague began, but its consequences are known. Perhaps they were born with them.

There is a known disease that attacks administrators, and their servers are destroyed no less than a week after the admins die.

Only the administrators know the cause and they know how many servers were destroyed because their admins were unable to control their players.

It was two weeks after the L'manburg explosion and Dream was unable to get out of bed, the purple stains spoiling his skin and a high fever burning him inside.

Luckily, Bad was with him, helping him to his feet.

He was finally getting out of bed.

Bad was an administrator, they hadn't known each other for as long as they did with Dream and Sapnap, but Dream trusted Bad enough to show his real face and to reveal all the justifications for his actions.

_He remembers when Bad found him coughing up blood at the community home._

_"Why didn't you declare independence when they asked?"_

_"Because that's how all wars started on all the other servers, and you know it"_

_Unfortunately, Dream also caused a war and his health paid the price._

"Dream, I know you don't like to say you're an admin, but you need to talk to everyone. This..." the demon points to his bandaged arm "This is going too far"

"They'll be fine now..." he forces himself to say "There won't be any more complications, trust me"

"You said that after the first war was over and what happens next? You, almost dying in a cave! I'm glad Sam found you!"

"I'm glad he didn't see the spots..."

"That's what matters?"

"Bad... they don't need to know, nobody else is going to cause problems" Dream guarantees

"Quackity saying he's going to resurrect Schaltt disagrees with you. Did you notice that your fever got worse when I came back from this meeting?"

"Bad... you're worrying too much"

Bad sighs, holding Dream's arm around his shoulders and holding his side.

"I'm just worried... I don't want the server to die, I don't want you to die. There were so many conflicts and some of them I couldn't even take care of you, Dream. This is dangerous"

"I'll be fine. With Tubbo in the chair, everything will be peace from now on, maybe we'll be bored"

"If you get bored it means that you will not be on the verge of death, so I am happy to be left with nothing to do"

"Bad, you are very radical"

"Better to do nothing than be busy with a funeral"

Dream laughs "God, Bad, I take it back, you're dramatic"

They are laughing and going to meet George and Sapnap when Dream cringes, shaking

"Dream? Dream?!" Bad calls him desperate and puts him sitting on the floor.

The pain burns his bones and he feels the spots growing on his arms, the blood rising in his mouth. Dream can't stop coughing and choking on crimson. Bad takes off his friend's mask and lays him on the grass, seeing the dark, distorted spots leaving his face unrecognizable while Dream's head throbs and all he can hear are the whispers of the voices.

_Fire_

_Fire_

_Fire_

"Dream!" Bad screams again and tries to get him up to take him home, but Dream breaks free, still coughing up blood and completely bewildered, unable to feel her own feet "Dream?! What are you doing, you muffinhead!? "

Dream uses all the remaining forces to run towards the direction of the smoke rising in the sky, with Bad following him, even though Dream was collapsing, he is the fastest.

They arrive at the server's almost border and can see the fire at George's mushroom house, Dream feels like someone is breaking his ribs when he trips and falls to the ground, Bad tries to lift him, desperate.

"Dream! Bad!" they hear George approaching "Someone burned my house!"

Ah... arson

* * *

"You need to believe me! I didn't do that!" Tommy screams from inside the bars and Dream's skin itches intensely, voices screaming in his head

_Lies_

_Lies_

_Lies_

He tightens his jaw

"That's a lie! You burned my house down!" George says, frustrated

Tubbo and Dream sigh tiredly and the masked admin looks at the young president.

"Tubbo..." his voice is hoarse with so much effort in his throat to vomit "What do you want to do?"

"We are not going to take drastic measures" he says and George gasps "But Tommy is going to suffer consequences" Now it is the blonde's turn to gasp, feeling betrayed

"I suggested exile" he declares, still feeling the effects of the disease and feeling irritated with Tommy "It is the fairest, undetermined time, but not forever"

"What the fuck ?!" Tommy screams, looking at him, incredulous

"Language!" Bad scolds Tommy

"I don't think it will be necessary" Tubbo says "Let's just put him in light punishment"

"I did nothing!" Tommy says and his mind screams about lies, he feels something go up in his chest. Dream gets up, overwhelmed

"Tommy, face me now and say you didn't burn George's house" Dream says, approaching the boy

"Dream, Big D, I didn't set George's house on fire and I don't know why you're accusing me!"

_Lies_

_Lies_

_LIES!_

"You are lying, Tommy"

"I don't--"

"This was your last chance to tell the truth" he declares, feeling his head hurt "Tubbo, reconsider this, okay?"

Tubbo is quiet, but nods.

"We will reach an agreement without having to do this, Dream, I guarantee you"

The admin nods and leaves, with Bad on his tail.

"What are you doing?"

"Tommy lied" Dream says, moving his mask off his face and wiping his bloody nose "He needs to learn that he can't just set fire to other people's houses and lie about it"

"Don't you think you're going too far? You considered exile, Dream"

"I know... I know, Bad, but he needs to learn. It's not the first time Tommy has done one of these and got away with it" he starts to leave

"Where are you going?! You're going to get worse!"

"Don't worry, Bad. I'll be fine" he says and leaves sight

* * *

Dream sneezes in the rain and sniffs, he shouldn't be there, Bad could kill him for leaving his bed without his illness settling down.

And he would kill you for drinking a healing potion.

The voices start to scream

_Riot_

_Riot_

_Riot_

The grip on his ax gets stronger, and the voices cloud his eyes for a few seconds.

He watches L'manburg's office climbing the obsidian wall, he hopes that Tubbo doesn't accept his proposal and hopes that George doesn't charge him. It would only make his condition worse.

What he doesn't expect is Tubbo accepting to exile Tommy

_Discord_

_Discord_

_Discord_

"Come with me, Tommy" he calls the boy to go down the wall

The two (plus Ghostbur) go through the water to an island on the other side of the continent.

Dream helps build a makeshift little house for Tommy and Ghostbur, even with the boy staring at him with hatred.

For reasons, he is already used to it.

"You need to learn that your actions have consequences, Tommy" he says

"Fuck you" Tommy replies

Dream appears from time to time to keep him company, he doesn't force contact because he knows that Tommy doesn't like him there.

It is when he is in Logstedshire that he feels the voices screaming inside his head, it hurts as if he is being beaten by a bell.

_Execution_

_Death_

_Blood_

Dream chokes and spits blood, the stains once again wrapping around his arm and taking over his face. He feels like he is being pierced by ten poison arrows at the same time and being burned by a match. He can't breathe.

"Big D, what the hell is going on?!"

"T--Tommy... healing..." he feels his throat close and his stomach revive

"Okay! Okay!" Tommy runs away, but soon his steps return and he extends a weak "Here! Here!"

The sweet smell is nauseating and almost makes Dream throw up

"Just don't take--" Dream swallows the whole potion and coughs up excess fluid in his mouth "--everything..."

Dream takes a deep breath, and grabs the grass tightly, he isn’t sure, but he knows that the spots have stopped growing and he can breathe in peace.

"What the fuck was that?!"

Ah, he forgot that Tommy was here

Dream so badly wanted Bad to be with him.

"I just... got sick, Tommy... don't worry"

"You drank an entire potion in one gulp! You'll be sick!"

"Don't worry, Tommy, you said you wanted to show me something, right?

Tommy seemed to hesitate

"uh... yeah, yeah! Come with me"

  
  


Tommy ran away a few days later.

His voices shouted 'trouble' in his mind.

* * *

_Riot_

_Riot_

_Riot_

"Dream, can you hear me?" Bad asked, worried, placing hands on his shoulders

"I... I... Bad, I need to go"

"What? Now?!"

"Where are you going?" Phil asks, frowning

"There's something going on..." the voices shout louder and he sighs "I need to see..."

"Dream!" they scream, but Dream doesn't listen, running down the server's main path, at the same moment, a notification appears on his communicator

_[Eret: Dream, can you come over here?]_

His feet move without command, the axe already in hand and he crosses the community house, the voices knocking at his skull and he catches his breath, stopping in front of Eret's big gray castle.

Eret, Puffy and two other people he doesn't process who they are are standing right on the way, the smell of smoke is very strong in the air.

"Dream!" Puffy calls him and Dream approaches them

"What is happening?"

"I don't know... Karl and Sapnap were here to take me off the throne and out of nowhere, the path exploded. Sapnap accused me of killing Karl, but I honestly didn't know what was going on" Eret reports and Dream sighs, his migraine increasing

_Riot_

_Chaos_

_Betrayal_

"I... I'm going to see what I can do..."

  
  


He is standing in the middle of Mexican L'manburg, now El Rapids, facing George and Sapnap who are sitting in the chests, George has a plastic crown on his head.

"What the fuck was that?! Frame Eret in murder?! What did you want to do?!" he screams, malaise and tiredness hitting his bones

"You don't have to yell at us, Dream. We’re not like L'manburg who follows you all the time" Sapnap says harshly

"What...?"

"Don't pretend you don't know, Tubbo may be president, but he follows you, he seeks your approval. We stopped being that a long time ago"

"What are you talking about, Sap?"

"We aren't your soldiers, we want a country and it looked like this was the only way to get your attention" Quackity says out of nowhere, standing further away

"But accusing Eret? What happened to you?!"

"Would you declare independence for us, or did you do it just because we moved your pawn?" George asks, getting up

"Pawn? But Georg--"

"Just say that you hate us"

_Discord_

_Discord_

_Discord_

"You care so much about your lands that you don't even care about us anymore. Guess what? We don't care about you anymore," Sapnap declares, his hand coming down to the sword hilt at his waist.

His ears ring and Dream feels that he stopped breathing

_DISCORD_

_DISCORD_

_DISCORD_

When he comes back to reality, the three are leaving, leaving Dream behind.

"God, Dream! You scared me" Phil yells, laughing nervously

Dream doesn't respond, afraid of what might come out of him.

"Dream?" Bad question, approaching "Are you okay?"

He shrinks when Bad removes the mask's beam.

"Dream..."

"You need to tell them! This is going too far!" Bad complains "Dream, you're dying!"

~~_'just say you hate us'_ ~~

~~_'we are not your soldiers'_ ~~

~~_'we don't care about you'_ ~~

"Bad..." he whispers, feeling his own body burn

"Dream" Phil calls him, with a serious tone "You need to heal"

He looks at the potions booth in the room. He doesn't even have the strength to move.

"Come here" Bad takes his hot, stained hands and makes him sit on the chair. He walks over to a chest and pulls a cloth, dipping it in the icy water of the cauldron, Bad stands in front of him and puts the cloth on his forehead.

Dream takes a deep breath, but everything hurts, especially his chest.

"Bad..." he takes his friend's arm

"Yes?"

"I... I... can't do... anything right..." he whispers "I... I wanted to pass the server on to you... at least it would prosper..."

"Dream... don't say that" Phil says, looking for ingredients for a healing potion

"I..." a lump forms in your throat "It hurts..."

The spots grow in a spiral around his neck and there is a giant spot on his left eye, which is already turning gray.

"You need to tell them..."

"They wouldn't listen to me... they would find more ways to hurt me... Tommy is gone, L'manburg wants to kill me and George and Sapnap hate me..." he coughs, faint red staining his mouth "I'm scared, Bad... "

Seeing Dream fragile isn’t a strange sight for Bad, but seeing admitting that something is not right is something very worrying.

"Don't worry, Dream. We'll fix this and the server will be fine"

The blonde nods and puts his head in his hands, feeling his eyes sting.

He won't cry for it, it hurt many times before.

* * *

Everything is so loud...

He feels suffocated...

He can't breathe.

His skin itches and he burns red hot inside. His hands are shaking and he feels something rising in his throat.

The community house is gone… everyone is here

_Danger_

_Danger_

_Danger_

_War_

_Blood_

_Betrayal_

_Pain_

_Pain_

_PAIN_

Too much is happening.

He feels his lungs expanding and contracting hard, it makes his heart ache.

There is shouting, death threats, and someone calling his name.

The spots become spiral and curl his limbs, he feels his neck being tied.

There is someone calling his name.

Dream cannot feel his own body. The voices shrieks in his mind and he screams in agony, or he at least thinks he is screaming because the pain is too unbearable to be silent.

He thinks he has been stabbed, but the pain seems to burn all his skin little by little, making it a painful process.

He spits something, or vomits...

Someone is touching him, but it makes everything hurt more than possible.

Everything shakes and he feels the code deteriorating inside his own mind, his head throbs endlessly until he feels...

nothing...

Absolutely nothing

It's like floating in the void

Did it stop existing?

What is happening?

He is tired...

Did the disease go away?

Bad can wake you up if something happens, right?

He always did that

Dream thinks he can sleep for awhile now


	16. The dark vines part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad and Phil explain to the others what is happening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Gachawatermelon396
> 
> This is a part 2

In a moment everyone was screaming, Tubbo and Tommy started to pick up their axes if they needed to.

In another, Dream was collapsing in front of them and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

He was shaking a lot, Dream gasped for air and raised his hand to his throat, as if he were being choked.

"Dream?" Tubbo calls him and everyone steps back, afraid of being a trap "Dream?"

Dream screams in agony, it's a deafening scream, the loudest sound everyone has heard since L'manburg's explosions. His voice is completely distorted and everyone covers their ears.

"What the fuck?!" Tommy screams, but his voice is drowned out by Dream's screams.

A red liquid starts to come out of the mask and everyone is sure it is blood.

"Dream!" someone screams out of nowhere and Bad lands on the floor left over from the community house, he looks panicked, especially shaking his shoulders "Dream! Wake up!"

Dream screams louder and Bad waves his eyes up to his hands.

He is boiling too much

He falls to the side, but only manages to stain the floor even more with red that comes out of his mouth, he starts to have spasms and everyone is paralyzed with the vision.

"Techno, call Phil!" Bad asks the pink haired one to stand next to the kids

"Wha-- I don't--"

"Technoblade! I swear to god, call your dad!" Bad screams and everyone shudders

Nobody saw Bad angry, desperate and screaming at the same time.

Techno does what was asked, very hesitantly and types in his communicator.

Dream is still shaking on the floor and Tommy can see dark spots on his fingers uncovered by the gloves.

Bad holds his friend's body firmly, but being careful.

"Sapnap, Ant, help me out here"

Ant comes down at the same moment, but Sapnap seems too terrified to help. He doesn't know what to do

"Tommy, help me" Bad calls him, staring at the boy

Tommy doesn't have much choice, as much as he doesn't like Dream, he prefers not to let him die, after all they were friends before.

He steps in with firm steps and helps to support Dream, and he feels his breathing getting weaker than normal.

"Everyone, go to Badlands, we'll meet there" Bad yells and then turns to the two beside him "Hang on"

Bad opens the communicator and types a strange code, when he closes the communicator, the four are in Badlands in the blink of an eye.

"What the fuck?!" Tommy screams, scared and Ant looks surprised too

Bad drags Dream's body as fast as he can to bed and everyone else arrives at the same time, with Phil leading the way, carrying a bag.

"Oh no, no, no, no" he murmurs desperately and approaches "I came as fast as I could"

"Help me get this out... I don't know how bad it is getting" Bad says and Phil nods, lifting Dream's head on the pillow

It's almost burning his hands

Bad takes his hands to the mask beam and he quickly removes it. Everyone is breathless at the sight.

Dream's skin is completely dark and his eyes are milky white, the blood still comes out of his mouth in excess and he is having violent spasms.

"Here" Phil gives Bad a potion and goes running to get a wet cloth, and a bucket, he turns to everyone else "Please take a leather book in my bag"

Tubbo opens the bag and Quackity pulls the book out, handing it over to Phil, who thanks him and returns to focus on the young administrator.

When the bucket is placed on the ground, Bad tilts Dream's body towards the object and crimson begins to fall, like a disgusting river

"I... I don't know what to do" Bad whisper in a panic "The potion... it won't work"

"Yes, it will, Bad, Dream is strong, it will... it will"

Not even Phil looks so confident

Nobody says anything

Bad puts his body back on the bed and opens the bottle of pink liquid, the smell infesting the environment, and he guides the bottle to Dream's mouth.

Tommy recognizes this scene

"The stains... Phil, it's not..."

"Bad, calm down" Phil holds his hand while he wipes Dream's forehead with an icy cloth "Let's focus on the medicine"

Bad nods and goes hunting for the ingredients written in the books, leaving Phil and everyone else alone.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Quackity and Tommy scream and Phil scolds them with a look, the two cringe and close their mouths

"Phil, what's going on with Dream?" Techno asks, a calmer tone, but worried nonetheless

"Dream is sick, but he never got in that state"

"Sick? Since when?!" Sapnap asks, on the verge of collapsing too

"It's not a common disease, it's been concentrated in the admin since he created a server" Phil grimaces "I don't even know if it can be called a disease"

"Wait... Dream is an administrator?!" Tubbo's jaw dropping and eyes wide

In fact, everyone was like this

"He is. In fact, Bad and I are too, but Dream is the creator of Dream SMP"

"Why did he never tell us anything?" Fundy asks

"The reasons change every time I asked" Bad appears out of nowhere, holding some herbs and bottles "Sometimes he said because he wanted to be treated as an equal, he didn't want him to be seen as different by you"

"At other times, it wasn’t to worry, everyone was at war and he preferred not to worry all of us. Other times it was because no one would believe it, at other times, it was because he didn't want to be a burden, he said because he felt he deserved to suffer this disease, and sometimes because he thought you would find ways to hurt him, but I didn't really believe that answer"

Everyone is silent and Bad starts grinding the herbs and puts them in the water.

"What is this disease?" Techno asks, not taking his eyes off Dream's feverish body

"This disease starts when there are bad intentions on the server, lies, crimes, murder, betrayal, war and many other reasons. Many servers were destroyed because the admins were killed because of the disease"

"It's a very aggressive thing, I only had it once, but we managed to control it and never attacked it again" Phil reports "Dream and Bad helped me, but... it's not something that disappears out of nowhere. It falls asleep and waits until something happen on your land to come back hard"

"Wait... if wars cause this, Dream put it on himself. He caused L'manburg's war against Dream SMP" Tommy says and Bad hits the table

Phil whistles and refocuses on the boy in bed, he mumbles ‘oh boy…’

"...The disease started in many admins because of civil wars. Factions were created and started fighting for power, Tommy" Bad says darkly and the boy swallows dry "Dream didn't want to give it to you because it would influence other people create a nation and everyone would fight a war "

"Unfortunately, his health paid the price. Then, it was the same fate as all the other servers. Schlatt made Dream's condition worse and he was going to try to get rid of it, but the war broke out much earlier. Why do you think that Dream 'surrendered' and took them to Schlatt?" he pauses in silence "Dream stayed in bed for two weeks after Wilbur blew everything up. He was getting out of bed and we were going to meet Sapnap but he collapsed because the voices were screaming so loudly and the disease got worse."

"We found out right after someone set George's house on fire" he looks at everyone else with a sad, cold look "Did you know that theft and arson are ill intentions?"

Nobody said anything

"I think the punishment is good, Bad" Phil says "Are you ready yet? He's getting warmer and I'm sure another wave of blood will happen"

Bad nods and pulls out the small bottle of mixed water and herbs, sitting on the bed and bringing the bottle to Dream's lips, who is breathing very shallowly

"He should have told us..." Sapnap says after a long time in silence

"He should have, but I tried so many times... he was being stubborn... or maybe it was the illness..."

"It is likely. The voices become unstoppable" Phil and everyone frown

"Voices?" Ranboo asks

"They are not conscious voices that can talk to you" Phil says "They are more like alerts that scream in your head when something is wrong"

"The voices are very loud so it's quite common to have a headache"

"As admins, do you even hear these voices, even though you're on the Dream server? ' Tubbo asks

"It depends... in our case, we hear a whisper when something happens on our servers, but when we get there, the voices get louder and more coherent" Bad replies "But when something happens to the Dream server, we don't feel nothing "

"Bad... help me tilt, Dream, the blood is coming back"

The head is back against the bucket and the blood comes down.

"He'll be fine?" Sam asks

"...Dream never reached the state of collapsing with such violence and the spots never covered his face entirely" Bad sighs "But he always got strong..."

"Bad... what does healing potions have to do with this?" Tommy asks

"What?"

"He... he collapsed one day while I was in exile, and he asked for a healing potion... he drank the whole bottle"

"Dream became addicted to them. He needed to act, but he was in bed, so I gave him a little healing potion, as recommended, just to give him a little strength. After a while, only small sips didn't give him enough, then he... "

"He started drinking whole bottles..." Niki whispers and Bad nods

"Please don’t drink healing potions unless it is a critical condition. They are powerful, but they are also harmful" he asks and everyone nods

"Bad... get a blanket" Phil says abruptly

"What?" he puts his hand on Dream's forehead and his eyes convey horror

The temperature dropped and Dream wasn’t breathing

"No, no, no, no... it's not like that... no--" Bad started to look hysterical, but Phil grabbed him by the shoulders

"Get a blanket, I'll take care of it"

Bad disappeared in the blink of an eye and Phil stood up

"Somebody look for Dream's pulse, quick!"

Niki was the fastest of all and grabbed his wrist, feeling around the veins.

"No... there's nothing"

Phil swore under his breath and used a knife to rip the green sweatshirt in half.

This will have to do

He put his hands on Dream's chest and tried to do CRP.

"Anything?"

Niki shook his head and Phil continued.

Nobody knew how to breathe

Sapnap, Puffy, Sam, Punz and Ant were already starting to cry while everyone else was petrified and scared.

Nothing changed after several minutes.

Bad came back during the process and was now leaning on the bed, sitting on the floor and his hands against his face, crying softly.

Dream's body was out of his eyes, hidden under the blankets.

There was nothing else they could do.

"What do we do...?" Tubbo asks quietly, not wanting to disturb others' grief

"...we see this after the funeral"


	17. Mama duck and her duckling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is possessed and Puffy is the only one who can help him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @WynWyn08
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it
> 
> (Also I'm sorry, this title sucks)

"Get down or I'll shoot myself" Tommy yells, the bow pointing up and watching the elevator

Dream's breath hitches

His head hurts and the demon screams

_ 'Let me out! " _

_ 'I will make them suffer!' _

_ 'I WILL KILL ALL THEM!' _

"Don't do that..." he says quietly, but he doesn't know if it's aimed at Nightmare or Tommy "Just... I... I'll go down..."

His sweatshirt is stained black ... Dream doesn't know how fucked up his body was

He swears he will kill Nightamare and the list of reasons is growing by the minute

He was reborn in the savannah, whatever plan Nightamare had made, had put Dream in the crossfire, obviously.

_ 'I'm going to break this fucking barrier and kill them all!' _

"Shut up, you're annoying me already" he rolls his eyes and activates the elevator, his bones are tired and he just wants to sleep for a century

"Nobody said anything, Green Bitch"

Oh, of course... they can hear him

"I'm coming down" Dream says and when the platform goes down enough there are almost fifteen arrows pointed at him

Great ... simply lovely

When the elevator hangs on the floor, Tommy directs the crossbow to his head.

One canonical death, two more and he goes in peace

Is it sick to say that, deep down, Dream really wants Tommy to kill him?

Perhaps...

"Can we get this over with?" he says, his voice more relaxed and almost aged

It's not Dream

"Where's Dream?"

_ 'I'm going to kill this boy!' _

_ 'The discs are mine!' _

"Just be quiet..." he murmurs and turns his eyes to Tommy "I'm Dream, I didn't think you were blind in two minutes"

"This is not funny" Quackity says, hardened

"It wasn't even supposed to be--"

An arrow flies close to his head and he can hear the wind whistle

"Stop these games. We beat you" Sapnap says

Wait... Sapnap?

"What are you doing here, Sap?" he asks, genuinely confused and slightly desperate "You never got involved in ---"

He is forced to kneel

An arrow stuck in his thigh.

"Shut up! You have no right to use that nickname with me, you bastard!"

One more reason to kill Nightmare: Fought with his brother, Sapnap

"...Tommy... what do you want to do?"

"I'm going to kill you, Green Bitch" the crossbow pointed at his forehead

_ 'He won't kill you' _

_ 'He's too weak for that' _

_ [Dream was shot by TommyInnit] _

_ '... son of a bitch' _

_ 'I WILL BREAK YOU AND HIM' _

Dream's head throbs and he tilts to the side.

"Come back here"

"Uh... yeah, sure... let me just..." Dream takes a deep breath, feeling the black liquid dripping down his forehead "Oh god... that hurts..."

"Stop rolling..."

Dream sees that, for some reason, he was reborn in the Nether, in front of a purple portal. He goes silent and finds the whole crowd staring at the elevator.

"We are waiting, Dream"

"I'm here"

Everyone turns quickly and the bows are pointed at him.

But one of them is hesitant

Puffy...

Dream feels like he's going to cry with her here.

What did Nightmare do to her? What did Nightamare do to them all?

Punz and Quackity pull him against the wall and he is trapped in an obsidian box.

"What do we do now?"

"We can kill him... if we get rid of him, everything will go away"

"Wait..." Dream calls them and everyone turns to face him, he sighs "Look... I'm not even in the position to place orders here--"

"Obviously"

"But can I talk to... Puffy...?" her eyes widen "just for a few seconds"

_ 'I will kill them all and it will be your fault!' _

He closes his eyes tightly. It will break in a moment

"No--"

"Why?" Puffy interrupts Tommy, Quackity and Punz, but her eyes stare at him with unbreakable strength, but he can see the disappointment and sadness

"Puffy... I don't think..."

"Tommy killed him twice, and I can end the third one if something happens" Puffy says firmly and everyone shudders

"Fine..." Quackity grumbles

"Go that way over there" she points to the corridor and many of them grumble as this is not fair and there are only them now.

Mother and son

"What you want?" she asks, stiff and straight, like a knight

"Hi..." he whispers, slightly happy

_ 'I will kill your family' _

"Hi? Dream, you... you threaten to kill two children and you say 'hi'? To me ?!" she hits the stone with fury, it makes Dream shrink

"Uh... that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about..."

"What?"

Dream takes a shaky breath and takes his hands to the mask beam and unlocks it, taking the porcelain from his face. Puffy loses her breath.

They are different eyes

It's not Dream, or at least, it doesn't look like Dream anymore.

"You probably don't believe me, Captain Puffy" he says, formally and it hurts his soul "But... everything I did wasn't my choice. It's my first time after months of waking up"

"When did you sleep?"

"I don't know... but... given the state Tubbo is in, it happened a long time ago"

"The day of the festival..." she whispers, horrified and he nods

"I need a favor from you..." he asks, seriously "Convince them to lock me up on Pandora, try anything, but please... don't let them kill me"

"Of course I wouldn't" she says and he shakes his head

"That's not why... if the host is killed, Nightmare will own someone else"

_ 'You son of a bitch! You selfless shit! ' _

"Dream... we can fix this..."

"No... you saw my eyes and my blood... I'm already in the dark, Puffy..." 

"No, no, no... We can.. we can do something..."

"I'm sorry..."

"No, no... you... you don't need to apologize, Dream..."

He takes her wrists "Promise me you'll do this... please"

"I can't leave you locked up..." she says, tears pooling in her eyes "Not in that state..."

"Puffy... please... promise"

"I... I can't do this to you, Dream..."

"Do it as a favor... you help me and I stay alive... I won't let myself die, and the server isn't destroyed"

"Dream..."

"Please, mom..." he pleads and she opens her eyes wide

She won't be able to convince him

He looks so tired...

Oh god... he's been so far away for a long time

She cups Dream's cheeks and wipes his forehead stained in black

"I promise..." she whispers and the two touch their foreheads, Dream is crying too

_ 'You're pathetic!" _

"Thank you, mom" he whispers, even with a headache

They move away and she rubs her face, everyone gets closer at the same time Dream puts on the mask

"Puffy can see his face..." Tubbo whispers

"I didn't know they were close" Eret whispers back

"Ok... that was weird" Tommy claps his hands "What do we do now?"

"We can lock him" Puffy suggests, her voice sounding like she hadn't been crying seconds ago

"Uh... yeah, but where?"

"I have my prison, it is impenetrable" Sam says

"Sounds good to me"

"Can't we just kill him?" Quackity asks and Puffy shoots him with a look "Never mind ..."

"I'm going to need some people to guide him, but no one will be able to get in except him and me"

Some people started to complain and Puffy's eyes turned to Dream, who was leaning against the obsidian, his chest rising and falling slowly.

Almost as if he were going to... sleep...

"Can we go soon?" she asks "Can he do something if we stay here"

"Sure, Punz, Ant, Sapnap, let's go" Sam asks and the three nod, taking him out of the obsidian box and taking him by the arms to the portal, Dream followed in silence and obediently.

Tommy turns to thank everyone for their help, but Puffy runs before anyone can stop her. She pulls Dream from the grip of Punz and Sapnap and hugs him regardless of whether the two are in front of all of Nightamre's enemies

"I love you, mom" he whispers into her shoulder

"I love you too, Duckling"

When they all fade to purple, everyone is silent

They just arrested her son


	18. The trees embrace me as their son part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo tells Dream what happened after the explosion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @AlexAOxxxxx

It is at least psychedelic.

Dream is trapped in a strange cocoon and his mask is broken on the ground, almost two meters from him, his eyes are as white as Eret's eyes and there are wings on the sides of his head, his axe it's stuck in the grass.

The explosion's crater, which can't even be considered a crater, turned into a ditch full of dark vines, the whole main land turned into a land abandoned by nature.

Tubbo sighs and approaches, watching his friend's body above his head and he sits on the grass, the thorny vines shrink with his arrival and flowers spring from them.

"Hi, Dream. It's been a year since... you're here"

"A lot has happened since we left the server and... I couldn't make it out of fear... and because Tommy didn't want me to come here"

"The explosion made Wilbur pass out, he's living further away, but Phil and I visit him whenever we can. He's not insane, but... he's still not the same Wilbur he was before. He's blaming himself for putting you on this... state "

"Phil lives with Techno and Tommy and I are living together. We live by the ocean and I want to build an apiary. Tommy is still mad at Techno and Wilbur, unfortunately, but he is hanging out with me, Quackity, Fundy and Ranboo"

"Ranboo is a cousin... I think? He is Niki's cousin and he lives with her, he is a nice guy. Eret is their neighbor, I thought he would think it was strange, because he lived in a castle and such, but he is doing better than I thought "

"Bad is working at Niki's bakery, he makes really good muffins and is perfect for being out in the cold" Tubbo says, opening his backpack and taking out a blueberry muffin from the inside "He lives with Skeppy and Ant, Sam and Punz are always with they"

"L'manburg is no more... Wilbur said it didn't make sense anymore and Tommy almost hit him, and I think... he felt betrayed when I said I agreed, but we're fine"

"Quackity lives with Sapnap and Karl, George and Callahan are his neighbors. He... he doesn't leave much of the house, unless they and Bad, force him to leave. Some days, Sapnap is sick and he has tantrums or he just stays very quiet "

"Fundy and Wilbur are not doing well either... Fundy told me that... he wants Eret to adopt him, but he needs Eret and Phil to sign, so he still hasn't got up the courage"

"Tommy doesn't know I'm here. I came with Bad and Phil to analyze the area, so I took the opportunity to visit you" he smiles at the man trapped in the vineyards "I... I want to believe that one day, these things will let you go and that you will come back to us, but Phil said that there is little chance for that to happen... "

"I just wanted to know what happened..." Tubbo whispers

"Tubbo!" Phil's voice echoes in the air "We're coming back!"

"Coming!" he shouts in response and places the bundle on his back, getting up to leave, before looking again at Dream's petrified and serene face and leaving.

Leaving a muffin on the grass behind.


	19. They were cursed forever (cursed together)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone at Dream SMP knows that Dream and Tommy hate each other.
> 
> They are mortal enemies, each putting the other on the verge of death.
> 
> What they don't know is that they are gods of chaos and are always bored within the temporal loops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Purplewitchii 
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoyed it
> 
> (I enjoyed writing this)

"I'm bored ..." Tommy says, snorting and turning to face Dream, who was reading a book, sitting on top of the chest "What's your idea for the next loop?"

"Um ... I don't know, get my things back and stay around" the taller man replied, not taking his eyes off the book

“You are fucking boring” Tommy complains, with a grimace “We did this in all the other loops”

“We did it in just two, in all the others we followed your script”

"Are you sure you are a chaos god?" he scoffs

"It is not because I like tranquility that automatically, I am not in favor of chaos"

“Ugh…” he groans loudly and Dream sighs, putting his book down

"If you script the next loop, will you stop complaining?" he looks at him blankly and Tommy nods excitedly "Great ... what do you want to do?"

Tommy's devilish smile said a lot.

* * *

'What are we going to do then?" Dream asks as Tommy is dipping his head into the chest

"We are going to create a war"

"Very creative" Dream scoffs

"Shut up, my scripts are much better than yours"

"Whatever you say, Tommy"

"I found it!" Tommy screams

Two discs shine against the sunrise light

Cat and Melhoi

"Do you really want to do that?" Dream asks, his green eyes shining with malice

"You bet" Tommy's blue eyes sparkle with chaos

This is going to be fun.

* * *

"It still hurts" Tommy says and Dream tightens the bandages "Ouch!"

"Be quiet" Dream sighs cut another gauze and some tapes

"Did you know that Eret was going to accept?"

"Uh ... I pulled some sticks for him to accept. Did you know that everyone likes a crown?" Dream smiles and Tommy scoffs

"Ha ha, very funny"

"I'm serious" Dream says "Maybe if we gave it to everyone, everyone would have done the same thing, maybe even George would have done something"

Tommy stares at Dream

"This is a good idea..."

"It wasn't an idea, Tommy"

"But it can be one, right?"

The god of chaos is silent

"We will leave this for the future"

* * *

"You son of a bitch!" Tommy screams as he enters the small hut, his L’manburg uniform soaked and blood stains on his face

Dream is sitting on top of the chests, sharpening his shiny sword with a stone. The mask was already discarded on the floor, along with all his inventory.

"Um… can I help you?"

“Yes, you son of a bitch! You weren't supposed to hit me over the head! ” Tommy points to his own forehead

"You wanted me to kill you how?"

“Shoot anything! If you hit me in the chest it would be okay! ”

"Tommy, your uniform is so stuffy that it would probably serve as an arrow proof vest"

"Fuck you!"

"Where did you leave the discs?"

"Skeppy. They are in good hands"

"Hmmm... let's change the plan then..."

“What?”

“Nevermind”

* * *

"You little shit!" Dream screams staggering and completely soaked

"Beg your pardon?" Tommy asks over his ugly cobblestone construction

"Let me know when you were going to run at me with a fucking minecart at full speed!"

"I warned you! It's in the chat!"

They stare at each other

"Tommy..." he says darkly "You have three seconds to run before you have an axe in your head"

"Fuck!" Tommy screams and jumps, running across the lawn with Dream following behind

* * *

"I really wasn't expecting this" Tommy laughs, with many expectations, he and Dream are standing on the wall of L'manburg, with Dream crossing their arms, the wind ruffling their hair

"It was a last minute addition, I wanted to surprise you"

"Wilbur was so pissed off. This is going exactly as I wanted it"

"We still need to decide the events of the coming days" Dream warns, opening the communicator, checking his messages "You said you wanted to add a person who would be important to the story, who do you have in mind?"

Tommy is silent and opens the administrators menu, scrolling down the screen until he finds a marked name. A verification symbol next to the name.

"We will call The Blade"

  
  


'Wait... wait... "Technoblade interrupts them" Do you want me to take part in your game again?"

The two chaos gods look at each other

"Yes?"

The blood god sighs, pinching his nose

"I thought you were going to live more peaceful loops after the 'incident'"

"That shit wasn't my fault" Tommy screams and Dream smirks

"Actually, Tommy, they being killed was kind of your fault"

"What?! It wasn't!"

"Ok, ok, stop screaming" Techno scoffs and reaches into his pocket, taking off his reading glasses and putting them on his face. Tommy needs to inflate his cheeks so he doesn't laugh out loud

He prefers not to have a sword stuck in his throat even though he is a god.

Again, unpleasant experience

Techno reads the writings and notes in Tommy's scribbled notebook, silently flipping through the pages as the two watch him closely. He closes the book with a thud and sighs, a dangerous gleam in his crimson eyes.

"If I go to participate, I hope I can create my character"

They smile with satisfaction.

* * *

"Schlatt is getting out of control" Tommy says when they are further away from Pogtopia's entrance

"Tell me about it" Dream sighs

"Wilbur is planning something dangerous… Are you ready if something happens?"

"You know you do"

"Good..."

The two are silent

"I just... I don't know if I can do this ..."

Dream is silent waiting Tommy to continue

"Wilbur is like a brother to me... I don't know if I can see him going insane, you know"

"We can always take another route, Tommy" Dream offers kindly.

Tommy is quiet for many minutes, until he shakes his head

"No... let's go with the script. I can always save him in another loop"

"Very well then..."

* * *

"Tommy!" Dream screams and Tommy and Techno turn to face him. Tommy has the Techno cape over his shoulders.

Dream hugs Tommy in his arms as he approaches

"I came as soon as I heard from Wilbur"

Tommy is strangely quiet, but Dream just sighs, making circles on his back.

It isn’t the first time that Tubbo suffers.

This always happens in all loops, but Tommy never got used to seeing his best friend getting hurt or dying in his arms.

He sinks into his friend's home-smelling green sweatshirt and closes his eyes, still seeing the red on the floor and the blue of Tubbo's eyes almost disappearing.

"I didn't know that Schlatt had pulled me into this" Techno confesses, watching the empty podium, the yellow box is still there, as is the dried blood on the wood

"We didn't know it either" Dream says "We can put them in and move them like pawns, but they are still human beings, they don't need a script to move inside the loop"

"Dream...?" Tommy calls him

"Hm?"

"Can I see Tubbo?"

"Of course. He's in Pogtopia, everyone is waiting for you" Dream says and guides him out of the terrace, the other god's cloak still on his shoulders.

* * *

"Today sucks" Tommy says

"Uhum..." Dream agrees, the two of them lying down, staring at the stars, with Dream drinking a potion of night vision stolen from the camarvan, both bandaged and with only a few parts of their netherite armor "Did you know about his plan?”

“No… I… I thought he would calm down after we got L’manburg. He still would be insane, but not a danger, then he would get better”

“I see… there’s nothing we can change now. Did you finish writing?”

"Yeah, I'm finishing the exile arc and I already sent the warning to Techno"

"That's nice..."

The two are silent, no lights on the server, only the starry sky, on the edge of the crater of L'manburg.

"Hey, Dream?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think we will ever get out of here?"

Dream thinks quietly

"I don't know Tommy, we... we're living our eternity in loops, never really moving forward" Dream sighs "I don't know if I could live without being in the loop"

"Why?"

"Because I know exactly what happens inside. We decide things. In most of the main events, we know what will happen because we plan it" he confesses. "If we leave, it will be on our own, we won’t be able to control the main events and everything will be really the first time "

"Isn't that good? We will finally get out of this. We will have a destination for the first time that won’t be repeating the same loop, in which we have already memorized all of the shit things that happened"

"I don't like living in the dark about things" Dream mumbles

"That's how they all live. And they like it, it opens up a lot of surprises"

"Maybe you're just too used to living like this" Tommy says

"Yeah... maybe… but I’m used to live like this..."

* * *

"Dream, escort Tommy out of L'manburg" Tubbo says, his voice louder than the rain

Tommy pretended to be feeling betrayed, his turbulent eyes staring at his friend as Dream pulled him by the arm and guided him away from the obsidian wall.

After being too far away, Tommy whistles

"Okay, this is hurting me"

"Sorry" Dream mumbles and lets go of his arm

Tommy sighs and looks up as the two walk to the pier

"Did you pour rain? It's kind of dramatic even for you"

"Wasn't it you?" Dream asks him confused and the two face each other in silence "It must have been natural, then"

"A strange coincidence" Tommy says and clears his throat "Where are we going now, Big D?"

"Uh... I found an island, it's close to where Techno lives. How long are you going to be in exile anyway?"

"Two months, I think. I need to check my notebook..."

"Hey Tommy! Dream!" the two gods turn to face Ghostbur, floating up to them

"Hi Ghostbur" Dream greets, automatically in the character "If you want to come, you only have now to get your things"

Tommy looks at him confused

"Oh, no, no, I'm fine, I have blue and my potatoes!" the ghost smiles "I'm going with Tommy"

"Hm... very well, then. Let's go" Dream walks back towards the pier and starts to untie one of the boats, while Tommy and Ghostbur talk

* * *

"To be honest, I hate how almost all my characters act," Dream says, sitting on the sand while Tommy sets up a table on the beach.

"You wrote some of them"

"Yeah, yeah, but everyone you wrote gives me a strange feeling" Dream flips through a few pages in the old notebook "Like, one of them I am a dictator who almost killed everyone. Is that how you see me, Tommy?"

"I'm almost seeing you like this if you don't stop complaining in my ear, you green bastard" Tommy groans

"Why can't you be the villain once?"

"You know what happened when I was the bad guy"

The two shudder and Dream pushes the memories deeper into his mind. He swallows dry.

"Yeah... let's leave myself as a villain, then"

"I agree"

  
  


"Why exactly did you decorate this beach when you know that no one will come?"

"..."

"Shut up"

* * *

"It is a good view"

The two are sitting on the earth tower, watching the horizon and the ocean

"Uhum... indeed"

"We could end this..."

"You know this is not how it works"

"But what if this time, this is how it ends. What if when we wake up we are out of that loop?"

"We already tested this on three different loops, it won’t... it won't work, no matter how much we want it"

"It might not work because we don't want it enough"

"You know this is not how it works..."

"I know..."

"..."

"I'm just tired..."

"You wrote this loop, don't you even want to see it until the end?"

"..."

"You're right..."

"We will find a way out... don't worry"

"Ok..." he sighs "I believe you"

"Do you want to go down? We need to meet Techno before Tubbo shows up"

"Oh yeah... how was the rescue?"

"..."

"He didn't like it very much..."

  
  


"I swear I will kill you" Techno says seriously, staring at Tommy, who was sweating cold and huddled against the wall

"Uh... hi Blades. What’s up?"

"Why didn't you tell me I was going to be executed?"

"Almost executed, in that case"

"This isn’t helping you, you know"

"Dream, Big D, help me!" Tommy pleads with the tallest blond, who shrugs, laughing

"Don't look at me, you wrote it"

* * *

"The discs were worth more than you ever were!" Tommy yells at Tubbo, who stares at him in shock

Dream is very quiet, but he looks Tommy in the eye

'That went too far, even for you'

Tommy seems to capitate the message, because he stops, hesitates and retreats, dropping his shield and ax.

"You can give the discs... if you want..."

"Are you sure about that?" Techno asks nervously, he didn't know about that part

"Tubbo, you can give them to Dream if you want..." Tommy mumbles to himself, looking at his hands "What am I...?"

Tubbo looks at Dream's mask on his face and then looks at the disc in his hands, handing it over to the greenish one, who picks it up gently.

"Thanks Tubbo, and I just wanted to say that you are a complete idiot"

"Look... that was very cruel of you to say" Tommy says, looking at the landscape of L'manburg before it's imminent destruction

"I say, Mr 'The discs were worth more than you ever were'" Dream replies "That must have hurt him"

"Yeah... I felt really bad when I said that" Tommy puts his hands against his face and groans, leaving on the grass "I'm stupid"

"It took forever for you to admit it. I wonder how many more years until you admit you are a child"

"Fuck you and I'm not a child, we are the same age"

"Say what you want, Tomathy"

"You are a green bitch" Tommy declares, deadpan

"And you are a child"

"Shut up, Dream"

“Techno really had fun writing this. He was pretty mad at you and L’manburg”

“It wasn’t my fault! They wanted to do this”

“Yeah, but he still mad at you” Dream smirks

“Ugh… I hate this” Tommy groans

* * *

"You are a monster, Dream"

"Hm... k"

Tommy had to restrain himself from laughing.

What kind of person just says 'k' when someone calls them a monster?

"I'm going to travel for a week... just to avoid the aftermatch" Dream says, the thunder leaving the atmosphere more frightening and chaotic, increasing the cacophony with the explosions falling in L'manburg

When he leaves, Tommy, Tubbo, Quackity and Ghostbur are left alone, too tired to go after the hunter.

"What do we do now?" Tubbo asks

"Ghostbur" Tommy calls the ghost "Do you still remember the L'manburg anthem? For the old times sake?"

"Of course I remember" he says and closes his eyes, clearing his throat

"Well, I've heard there was a special place"

"Where men could go and emancipate"

"The brutality..."

"and the tyranny of their rulers..."

"Well, this place is real, we needn't fret"

"With Wilbur..."

"Tommy..."

'Tubbo...'

"fuck Eret"

"It's a very big and, a little bit blown-up, L'Manberg ..."

"My L'manburg..." the others sang together "My L'manburg... My L'manburg..."

They said goodbye to their country with one last anthem.

* * *

"Last words, green bitch?" Tommy says, approaching Dream and reloading the crossbow

"Stop, stop, stop. Tommy, stop!" Dream screams, walking away, still feeling the pain of previous canonical deaths "You will not kill me"

Everyone looks at the scene, expectantly, finally the bastard would die.

"And why shouldn't I?" Tommy asks mockingly, the arrow pointed at the masked man's head

"Because I know how to revive the dead!" he screams and everyone is silent

Tommy was quiet and they continued to stare at each other

Until the two fall into a fit of laughter, scaring everyone else who was watching

"Holy shit, Dream. I gave you the fucking script!" he lowers the crossbow

"You didn't write the reason! I had to improvise!" Dream says, taking the side of his own body "You didn't warn me that you were going to kill me twice in a row. It hurts like hell!"

"I had to make it dramatic"

"Excuse me" the two gods face the crowd and Quackity yells "What the fuck is going on?!"

The two blondes look at each other again and they start laughing again.

"Ok... ok" Tommy runs a hand through his hair "This is going to be complicated to explain..."

"Start from the beginning" Punz asks, also confused

"Uh..." he turns to Dream, leaning against the wall, inspecting his sweatshirt "Do you want to do the honors?"

"Nah... who wrote this is you"

"Son of a bitch" he swears under his breath and turns to the others "Well... for a start, Dream and I are not human"

"We are gods, to be more exact, gods of chaos" Dream says

Everyone opened their eyes wide and opened their mouths

"I thought I was supposed to explain"

"It's always cool when we do this, in all the loops the reaction is the same" Dream moves the mask a little, enough to reveal one of his eyes "Go ahead"

"We are chaos gods and are stuck in a time loop" Tommy declares "The loop starts with the creation of Dream SMP and always ends today, at the end of the day"

"A time loop... that means all of this" Eret extends his arms to the room "Has it happened before?"

"Not exactly, at the beginning of each loop Dream and I decided what to do in that loop. Dream usually chooses to be a bore and forces me to live a peaceful little life"

"And You chose chaos?" Sam asks

"Exactly!"

"Tommy is very skilled with chaotic characters. He wrote some events that happened on the server" Dream says and Tommy boasts with a mocking bow

"What events?" Tubbo asks, still very confused

"Well... the war of independence, I wrote it and gave Wilbur ideas to continue, since L'manburg is always created. The disc war, obviously, my arc of exile, Techno gathering on the server, and some little parallel conflicts. Along with the character of Dream "

"And you... did you write anything?" Sapnap asked Dream

"I wrote Schlatt's takeover, Eret's betrayal, Phil entering the server and one conflict and another over there"

"Wait... but what about the other events?" Quackity asks

"Well... even though we guide you inside the script, you aren't our puppets"

"Schlatt executing you wasn't in our plans" Tommy says staring at Tubbo "Wilbur wasn't guided to blow up L'manburg, he did it because he was insane, Techno wrote Doomsday as revenge"

"Revenge?"

"Techno thought his execution was written by Tommy, but in fact the butchers did it themselves" Dream explains

"This... this is a lot to process..." Niki says

"How many loops did you live for?" Puffy asks

Dream and Tommy look at each other quietly

"2915 times" Tommy says, with a tone of indifference, but at the same time, bitter

Everyone shudders

"Tommy..." Tubbo starts, but Tommy interrupts him

"We're used to it, actually. Like, I still want this to end, but we don't want your pity," he says, cranky and Dream sighs.

"Tommy!"

"What?!" he asks angrily, his eyes shining in stormy blue

"You're being rude to them" the tallest blonde says, his eye shining in emerald green, making Dream more intimidating

"...oh" Tommy's eyes go out slightly and he calms down "sorry... I just..."

Tubbo approaches and hugs him, which Tommy reluctantly reciprocates

"Can we help you?" Bad asks both of them, not bothered by Tommy's outburst

"We don't know, Bad" Dream replies "This is such a strange thing and we never had any clue on how to break this cycle"

"Did you tell us about any of these cycles?" Ranboo asks

"No, we even tried... but the cycle ended before we even explained" Tommy says

"Do you think you changed anything by telling us?" Ant asks, but the two gods shrug

"We learned to keep our hopes low"

"What do we do now?" Quackity asks

"We wait..."

No one outside noticed, but Tommy and Dream watched everyone start to back up.

They were regressing

"Well... I wish I had stayed a little longer..." Dream says

"Yeah..." Tommy rubbed his red eyes "See you on the other side?"

"See you on the other side" Dream agreed

* * *

When Dream opened his eyes, he was in the same spawn clearing

"So... what are we going to do on this server?" George asks

"Well... let's build a community house" Dream says "We are going to invite people, right?"


	20. Old faces, new memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is immortal being.
> 
> When everyone dies, Dream goes away but he writes books about the story of the Dream SMP.  
> Generations later, he comes back and finds familiar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot and the request are by @Umemusice
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> I hope you don't mind if it's a one-shot
> 
> (Also, let's pretend the exile arc, the revenge arc and the imprisonment arc never happened, so Tommy never suffered and Techno was never betrayed! Yay! The disc war happened but it was less aggressive and more playful than the canon version. The egg arc happened but everything went well)

Dream watched the last person take the last breath.

Tommy was bedridden, his blond hair was already lost in gray and his blue eyes were closed slightly until his heart stopped beating and his chest stopped moving. His handshake disappeared and Dream sighed into silence.

He had no one else.

He pulled the blanket to cover the youngest boy's face and stared at nothing for hours, when his eyes focused on something else, the sun was already dawn.

"What do you want to do?"

He looks into Karl's young brown eyes as he stands in the corner of the room.

He never commented on anything, so Dream never commented either.

"I'm going to need your help" he replies, putting the mask on and getting up from his chair "Do you have any books left?"

* * *

Dream may even be a human, but he wasn’t a normal human.

Dream lived the history of the world, lived with many people, lived wars, lived peace, but he never managed to rest or stay in the same place forever.

Dream is as old as humanity, he does not know his own age, but he knows that everyone thinks he is 21 years old.

Dream is an anomaly and, around it, everything follows its natural course.

Dream won’t die while everyone else does.

His last family was a group of people that he is forever grateful for.

He would always be grateful for Sapnap's loyalty.

For George's smile

For Tommy's daring

For Tubbo's kindness

For Sam's genius

For Eret royalty

For Puffy's care

For Techno's ideals

For Quackity’s humor

For Ranboo’s duality

For Ghostbur’s serenity

For Bad's responsibility

For Punz’s bravery

For Ant protection

For Phil's wisdom

He would be grateful for all of them.

The least he could do was tell their story.

And who better to help you than a time traveler?

Everything Karl saw last week, happened years ago for them.

After Dream buried Tommy, Karl took him to his secret library near Pokimane and they started writing about everything.

Since the beginning of the SMP, L'manburg's war for independence, the election, Manberg, the second war and the years of peace, the red egg, the departure of some members, and its end.

"What are you going to do after that?" Karl asks while the two are sitting near Tommy and Tubbo's bench

"I will continue to exist. There isn’t much to do"

"I see..."

"Where are you going now?"

"Travel elsewhere, find other stories, you know," he says and looks at the watch in his pocket "Speaking of which, I need to get going"

"I hope to find you more in the future, if you are not so busy with the past"

"We will see each other again, Dream" Karl smiles and disappears into the air, leaving Dream alone.

The next day, Dream arranges the flowers in the tombs, frees the remaining pets and arranges their things. He doesn't take much, other than a few personal belongings and some memories from friends.

He hides books all over the SMP territory, Dream wouldn't deliver all that knowledge so easily.

* * *

Centuries have passed and Dream doesn’t know what has changed.

He wandered through forests, civilizations and the world. He saw history change in many other places, but he never managed to form other friendships.

Everything became more painful.

Every other person's smile reminded them of their smiles and Dream couldn't block those memories.

He spent so much time changing family and friends, so why now couldn't he move on?

The mental ghosts followed, but they weren’t the real ghosts as they had been resting for a long time. They called him in his sleep to join them, they called him to do their favorite things.

They called him to die.

When Dream realized he wasn't dying, it didn't affect him for some time, but then...

It became unbearable.

And he did many things.

Now, it was just painful memories and when his friends asked him to join them, Dream sank into bitterness and never responded.

Dream moved as far away from his old home as he could.

Being immortal wasn’t a blessing as many thought.

* * *

Unfortunately, the mind has strange paths.

He didn't even notice when he was dragged into a family forest, but he didn't notice until he saw the big stone tower rising up to the skies.

He was back.

He sighed and fixed the moss green cloak on his body.

Some buildings were gone, but others were improved and more buildings were added. It was a large community of people, as he saw many different people walking through the fields. His feet automatically took him to the center of the server and he stopped at the end of the bridge, watching the construction in front of him.

Nothing had changed, it just looked cleaner.

The door was open when he entered the community home.

All the chests were gone and replaced by bookshelves and pictures and pictures on the walls. He ran his fingers over the back of old books, some he wrote and others written and signed by others.

Some of them, as he recognized, belonged to Ghostbur when he started a library.

"Ah, I didn't know we had a visitor!" Dream turns around and almost chokes

In front of him was Tubbo, his blue eyes watching him with curiosity.

It was like centuries ago, when they went out to look for bees.

"Tubbo..." he lets out a whisper

"Sorry, I don't think we haven't met?"

"I... you are very familiar... sorry, I didn't know that was your real name" he says nervously

"Oh! What a coincidence then!" the boy, Tubbo, says, smiling "You're not from here, are you?"

"No... I don't think so, but this place caught my attention and the door was open"

"Don't worry, this is the New La'smp library" he says, returning to a book cart "This is where all of our history is stored"

"This is very good. Knowing your own story" he comments and looks at the portraits

There were many pictures, but the most pretended were three.

It was the photo taken in L'manburg, all the L'manbergians standing next to each other, dressed in their blue, white and red decorated uniforms and hats above their heads.

There was a photo that Dream himself had taken, all members of the server to celebrate Dream SMP's one year anniversary, everyone was able to attend, there was a cake that Niki had made for everyone, balloons flying in the starry sky and everyone smiling.

The other photo was the first one taken, Sapnap was holding the camera and all the first SMP members were there, that was after a month since they started the server, and behind them, the community home.

That was the only photo that Dream participated in, since he always asked to take the pictures.

"These are the people of a long time ago. They lived here, but everyone died and the land was left, like a ghost town. Our ancestors occupied here and found all the books and built this place" Tubbo explains "This place was called D-- "

"Dream SMP" it responds automatically

"Do you know this place?"

"I have roots here..."

"That's quite nice!" he says, fixing the book cart "By the way, I didn't ask your name"

"It's Dream, my name is Dream"

"Really? Like the green hunter?"

He chuckles

"Can you say that" he smiles gently "Is there any more historic place here?"

This Tubbo's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"History is what has more here. There is a museum that Eret of the past built and is still standing, we are conserving it"

"If it is not uncomfortable, I would like to see"

"No problem! I'm actually in charge of the museum with Eret"

Dream paralyzes

"Sorry... Eret?"

"Yes, just as my name is from the third president of L'manburg, there are some people here who have their names. Eret is named after--"

"King of Dream SMP"

"You are very good at this" he jokes and opens the door "Come with me, it's close"

They walked the main path that Dream knew like the back of his hand, he walked those paths every day, and recorded it all after years on a mind map in his head.

When they arrived at the museum, near the holy land, Dream saw a very familiar person and the shock almost knocked him over.

Contrary to his shock with Tubbo, he did not find the resemblance very strange, many people had blue eyes and brown hair.

But Eret was always an exception, because of his white eyes.

This Eret had the same eyes and it scared Dream more than he admitted.

There is no way...

"Tubbo!" he smiles when the boy and Dream approach "Who is this?"

"This is Dream, is a traveler who knows some things about Dream SMP"

"Really?" Eret asks and Dream can't stop looking at him "It's a pleasure to meet you"

"Likewise..." he murmurs

"Dream wants to see the museum!" Tubbo says and Eret nods

"Come with me" the three entered the structure and Dream was hit by a wave of nostalgia.

The carmavan, or its replica, was right in the middle of the museum and behind it was the entire Dream SMP map, or La'smp, a little further away, there was a dark brick box, Dream went straight to it and passed the fingers by the stone.

The final control room.

"It was never meant to be" he whispers

"Sorry what?" Eret asks

"What?"

"What did you say?"

"It was never meant to be"

"Wow, that gave me a deja vu" they say "How do you know that phrase"

"An old friend said a long time ago"

"Wow Eret! Did you find one more!?" Tubbo screams and the two approach the glass boxes

Each box had an item from each of his friends.

Minus Tommy's

"Ah, yes. That was the hardest to find" Eret says, approaching a box with Technoblade's shiny sword and his crown "We had to find a cabin on an island not far from here"

"Tubbo! Eret!" someone calls them and Dream immediately knows who this shouting belongs to

Tommy, or someone like Tommy

It was as if Dream had gone back in time

He wonders if Karl is here

"Hey Big Man!" he approaches them and smiles at Tubbo "Phil is calling us, and we haven't even met you at the library"

"Ah, Eret and I were presenting the museum for Dream"

"Dream?" the blue eyes meet the green eyes and he narrows his eyes "Who are you?"

"Just a traveler, passing by" he forces himself to say, feeling a lump in his throat

Too many turbulent thoughts in your mind

"Hey Dream, do you want to meet the guys?" Tubbo invites you

"Tubbo, he is a stranger!"

"A stranger who knows La'smp. He has roots here!"

"Roots?" Eret asks

"Yeah... it's almost like I was born here"

"Come on!" Tubbo smiled and took his hand, pulling him out of the museum, even with Tommy's protests and with Eret following them

Dream thought it was just... a very strange coincidence, but when he found the others, he realized how wrong he was.

"Tubbo! I was worried that you were late"

It was exactly Phil, Wilbur, Techno, Ranboo, Quackity and Fundy all as they were before.

"Sorry, but there was a visitor and I went to show the museum!"

"Visitor?" all eyes automatically went to him and Dream winced

It was a lot of eyes

Dream regretted taking off the mask

"Who is he?" the beanie, Quackity, asked suspiciously

"This is Dream!"

"Like the one in the book?" Ranboo asks and Tubbo nods

"I think he's suspicious" Tommy says

"You don't say that in front of him!" Wilbur rolled his eyes and they laughed

Dream couldn't laugh

He was feeling suffocated

The ghosts began to whisper in his ears.

He wants to leave

"Guys! Puffy is waiting for you! Haven't you found Tubbo yet? Niki will be disappointed that the cak--"

"Sapnap, you weren't supposed to tell!" Fundy screams and Tubbo smiles, mocking

"What cake?"

"Sapnap, you idiot" Tommy and Techno speak at the same time

Dream can't hear anything else that comes after.

He doesn't feel his breathing uneven and his hands shake

~~_ Come with us! _ ~~

~~_ Dream, I found his favorite flowers! Come see them with me, Tubbo is waiting for you too _ ~~

~~_ Hey Herdy, do you want to train again? _ ~~

~~_ Duckling! I saw a mine, do you want to explore with me? _ ~~

~~_ Ohh Dream! Come and practice manhunt. Only our favorite fugitive is missing _ ~~

~~_ Do you want to try to bet on a trident race, Green Bitch? _ ~~

Dream couldn't breathe

"Dream... are you listening to me?"

He knows that voice...

Karl?

No... it's not Karl, it's not...

Karl died, there is... there is no way

Karl died like everyone else

Karl left him alone like all of them

"Dream, Dream, do you remember the last time I saw you? It was in that room, very early in the morning"

He remembers that...

"Tommy was just gone, you asked me to write stories with you ... you remember that, right?"

He nods because he doesn't trust his own voice

"Do you remember that we sat near the boys' bench and I left? You said you wanted to meet me in the future when I stopped staying in the past"

"Karl... Karl... is it real? Are you...?"

"I am, Dream ... I'm here. I'm still here"

"Karl... they are gone..."

"They've been gone a long time, Dream"

"I know ... but it doesn't seem... it's them, but it's not them because they're gone" he breathes heavily "Karl... I don't... I..."

"Dream, it's okay... I'm here, it's still me, it's me. Your friend from years ago, you know how things work with me. Take a deep breath..."

He takes a deep breath

"Good, now, please, loosen my collar because this is hurting me"

Dream drops the sweatshirt as if it had been burned and Karl smiles

"You came back?" he nods "This is good, this is good. Now... Can I give you a real hug, I don't even know how much time has passed since I saw you, but apparently a long time ago"

Dream smiles shakily and hugs him tightly, which Karl kindly reciprocates.

"Karl, what's going on?" Phil asks and Dream realizes that everyone is looking at them

"Dream is an old friend of mine" Karl replies, stepping out of the embrace and standing next to him, with an arm around his shoulders "We have known each other for many years"

"When were you a time traveler?" Tommy asks

"Did you tell them?"

"Not exactly, they found out for themselves" Karl says

"Why did you panicked?" Tubbo asks Dream, with sadness in his eyes

He sighs

"It's just... you look a lot like them..."

"Are you a time traveler too?" Sapnap asks and he denies

"I just exist, without getting old"

"You are immortal" Techno says

"Are you Dream? Like **the** Dream?"

"Yeah, I'm the one who formed Dream SMP in the first place" he pulls his bundle and undoes the knot, taking out an old porcelain piece, with a smiley face

"Did you write the books in the first place?"

"Yes, me and Karl, actually. But I put Cornelius in the author's name" he says and puts the mask on his face "It's been a long time since I used this"

"Why did you come back?" Wilbur asks "Do you have a reason?"

"I came back without even knowing..." and he takes two more things out of the bundle "But, I think that brought me back"

The discs shine against the sun.

  
  


_ "God, I thought you didn't look like an idiot" _

_ Dream smiles bitterly, staring at the dull blue eyes and the cheeky smile that has never aged on Tommy's face, the only thing that has never aged. _

_ "But seriously, are you a ghost? You haven't even aged ... I even got taller than you" _

_ "You are still a child compared to me, Tomms" _

_ "Shut up" he coughs dryly "Hey Dream?" _

_ "Hm?" _

_ "You can have them" _

_ 'TommyInnit finally leaving me his records as an inheritance, this is the apocalypse "he laughs and Tommy scowls, huffing _

_ "I'm regretting what I said now" _

_ They laugh out loud and become silent, just Tommy's shaky breath in the room. _

_ "Don't worry. I will take care of them" _

_ "This is the minimum, green bitch" _

  
  


"Are these the original discs?" Tommy asks and Dream nods, holding them out

"I don't know if they still work, but yes, they are the real ones"

"This is amazing!" Tubbo says, but lowers his tone "I'm sorry for your loss"

"It's okay... that was a long time ago"

"Do you want to stay here?" Phil offers "Unless you need to leave, we would like a new company here"

"Actually, if you don't mind" Karl interrupts "I need to talk to Dream, but you can go. Puffy and Niki will probably kill you"

"It's really better for us to go then," Wilbur jokes and everyone laughs, starting to follow the main path away from the duo

"How long have you lived? Since I left?"

"I think centuries have passed, Karl" Dream sighs and Karl nods

"I decided to study a little more about time travel. I stopped two months ago and I think I managed to do something"

"What would it be?"

He takes a watch out of his pocket and grins.

"Do you want to take one last trip?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Easter egg: If you read Everything I left behind, you will recognize a quote during this request :)


	21. Blankets and hot cocoa (or Sam is worried and pissed)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo is drowned but Tommy, Sam and Puffy are there to help!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Stormyfairy
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (After I wrote this, I saw the SBI part... I'm so sorry. Please tell me if you want me to rewrite it)
> 
> You can tell this doesn't follow the canon timeline

Tubbo was unable to react quickly enough and in seconds, he was being pressed into the water.

He tried to get out, but something was pressing on his neck and he started to get desperate, trying to force his body up and swing his arms to stop. He held as much air as he could, but he would be out of breath in a few minutes, he tried to kick whoever was pressing him into the water, but the person pressed his knee hard against his stomach and that made Tubbo swallow water with the pain .

He was still struggling, but he started coughing when the water entered his lungs.

He was drowning.

The tears mixed with the water and he was not finding the strength to continue fighting, he coughed and with each automatic breath, more water entered his mouth and lungs.

When his eyes finally managed to focus on his attacker, he looked at the smiling mask.

Tubbo closed his eyes after he ran out of breath, choked on the blue.

* * *

It was an understatement that Tommy was desperate.

Tommy had Tubbo's body unconscious in his arms, both were soaked and Tubbo was not breathing properly.

He still had a pulse, but Tommy needed a lot of help.

"SAM!" he shouted when he saw the first person on the main path "SAM!"

"Tommy?" the greenish turned confused when he saw the boy's state in panic, but he opened his eyes wide when he saw Tubbo's body in his arms "What happened?"

"I... I don't know... he was in the water and I..." the blonde started to stutter and shiver, nervous and very worried

But a hand on his shoulder made him face the eldest

"Tommy, stay calm!" Sam reached for Tubbo's limp arm and ran his fingers over the wrist points, looking for the beats, and he sighed with relief when he found one, still weak.

"Give it to me" Sam instructed and Tommy put Tubbo's arm around the greenish man's neck when he took his friend in his arms "Great, now I need you to take Puffy, she's in her office, near the holy land, go over there and meet me at her house "

Tommy nodded quickly and did not hesitate to run after the captain.

He needed to save his best friend.

Sam balanced the boy's body in his arms and ran to the mushroom house, loaded with adrenaline. He went down the main path and kicked the door open, placing Tubbo on the first bed he saw and opening Snowchester's heavy coat.

"Sam! What's going on?" Puffy asked walking through the door with Tommy behind her, panting

"Do you have a bucket?" he asked "What about some blankets?"

"Sam, what-- Oh god!" she exclaimed, her eyes reaching realization "Tubbo..."

"Puffy, I really don't want to get your floor wet, do you have a bucket?"

She nodded, desperate and went upstairs

"Tommy, come here" the boy ran up to the older one "I'm going to do CPR and I'm going to need you to help me turn Tubbo to the side when the water starts to come out, okay?"

At the same time, Puffy comes back with a bucket and a pile of corbectors, and she goes back up, going after a first aid kit, in case Tubbo was injured.

Sam rolled up his sleeves and put his hands on Tubbo's chest, and pressed to force him to breathe.

He did this three times and brought his head closer to try to hear the boy's heart.

Tommy was shivering beside her, already crying.

Sam repeated the same process two more times before Tubbo had a coughing fit and water came out of his mouth.

"Turn!" Tommy helped Sam turn Tubbo's body over to the side of the bed and he threw up water in the bucket, along with some blood.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, with Sam circling Tubbo's back and Tommy hovering in worry, rubbing his face in stress. When Tubbo stopped coughing, still unconscious, they put him to bed and Puffy wrapped him in a towel, drying his brown hair and dressed him in another dry coat, in addition to two layers of blankets.

Puffy forced Tommy to wrap himself in a blanket too, since he had dived to save Tubbo, and handed him a hot drink. Sam checked the boy's temperature and pulse every 15 minutes.

"Do you know what happened?" Sam asked

"No... he was coming home, but he forgot his ax with me and I went after him..." he shuddered and Puffy put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I see... Tommy, do you think you can rest?" Sam asked

"I don't--"

"You just went through a situation of extreme stress, you need to rest"

The blonde closed his mouth and sighed, Puffy made him lie down on the couch and stood up.

"He'll be fine?"

"We did what we could, but you acted fast. He'll be fine, Tommy" she replied and he nodded, quietly.

It wasn't long before he went to sleep, leaving the two adults alone.

* * *

"--ubbo, Tubbo, can you hear me?"

Tubbo blinked five times and groaned, feeling his throat sore and his head aching. When his eyes focused on the room, he saw Sam's dark eyes and Puffy's gentle eyes, both looking at him with concern.

"W...w--" he forced his own voice, but he had a coughing fit.

Puffy fetched a mug with some hot chocolate and took the boy's hands to steady the mug.

Tubbo drank the sweet drink and felt the chocolate warm his throat, he sighed.

"What... what happened-- what happened?"

"Tommy found you drowned" Sam explained and helped Tubbo sit on the bed, feeling his own bones aching with the action "What are you feeling?"

"Pain, my throat is aching, my head is throbbing and it burns when I take a deep breath"

"This will pass if you keep resting" Puffy says and he nods slightly

"Tubbo?" the boy's eyes meet Tommy's at the foot of the bed

The smile comes easily

"Hi..."

"God, big man, you scared me!" Tommy laughed nervously and gave his friend a big hug.

"I'm fine now! I won't be going anytime soon"

"I hope not, holy shit, you almost died, Tubbo!"

Tommy started giving a talk about almost killing him from the heart and taking care not to fall into the water and many other things. Tubbo just laughed, even in pain and Puffy realized that his friend was at the door.

She left the two boys talking inside and joined Sam outside, watching the storm take over the server.

"Where are you going?" she asked the greenish one, who sighed

"You saw the marks on his neck, didn't you?"

She nodded

"I'm going after him..."

"I know..."

"I know you had a fondness for him, but I can't let him get away with it"

"I understand, Sam. They are more important and like you said, I  **had** " she declared, unmoved

"Can you take care of them for a few hours?"

"Sure, it's the least I can do"

"Thank you, Puffy" he said, putting the toxic mask on his face and engaged the trident "I will settle the score with a green bastard"

Lightning crossed the sky and thunder roared in the air.

Sam disappeared during the flash, leaving Puffy alone.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendship ended with SBI family, now Sam Nook and Captain Puffy are my best friends
> 
> :)


	22. Little Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy wants to relearn how to fly and Sam gives him some faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Reader
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!

When Tommy faced the approaching ground, he realized that he was screwed and that it was going to be a bad fall.

He flapped his wings as fast as he could, but the feathers were already worn out and were released by the wind that accelerated his fall, falling off gradually.

That was until he felt an impact against his body and he rolled across the grass, grating his elbows and hitting his head, his vision blurred and he groaned.

"What the fuck--"

"Tommy!" he heard Sam's voice approaching and he found the toxic mask staring at him, blocking out the sunlight "What was that ?! You threw yourself off the tower!"

"Hi Sam..." he grunted and the older one helped him to sit

"Hi? Tommy, you threw yourself!"

"It wasn't in my plans for me to free fall," he grunted and stood up, stretching his wings and seeing the result.

His wings were fucked

Many feathers burnt from previous TNT explosions, their wings were dirty with ash and dust, poorly cared for and clearly in need of brushing and tidying, some feathers embedded and fallen, losing color and some feathers torn and cut.

There was no way for him to fly again.

"Tommy" Sam called out to him and Tommy met his concerned eyes "What were you trying to do?"

"I... I was trying to... see if I could fly again" he murmured under his breath "Or glide... but apparently..."

They are both silent and realization appears in Sam's eyes, but before he says anything, Tommy scratches his face and forces a smile.

"But don't worry, I will continue to gather things for the hotel, don't worry" and he started walking towards the work, but a hand on his wrist forced him to stop

"Tommy. You know that in order to learn, you won't be able to throw yourself out of the tower every time" he says in a calm voice "You need to do it in a more organized way"

"And how would I do that?" he asks grumpily, he regretted trying and attracting Sam

"I will help you, Sam Nook can continue things at the hotel alone" and he winks, smiling determinedly "You will be able to fly again"

* * *

"Sam! I swear I'm sorry to have accepted your help!"

They were on the edge of a cliff, very far from the server, the air currents went up instead of going down so it was like you were gliding instead of falling.

Sam, for some crazy reason, thought it was a good idea to hold Tommy's hands while he was in the air.

"I'm holding you back!" he says "Spread your wings!"

Tommy looked down and saw the river running below, beyond the steep terrain.

He would die if he fell

"Sam!" he whined "I don't want to do this!"

"You don't want to or are you afraid?"

"Both!" he screamed

Tommy thought Sam would continue to urge him to try, but he was surprised when the older man pulled him hard to the ground and hugged him, until Tommy got his feet on the ground.

He started breathing hard and Sam ruffled his hair.

"We at least tried. But you did well for someone who was suspended in the air" he fishes his backpack on the floor "Let's go before it's too late"

The boy stood still, just watching Sam's way moving away towards the path they came on.

His wings trembled on his back and he looked back over the edge of the cliff.

_("It was never meant to be"_

_They heard the ground shake and Wilbur screamed before a crash made them all deaf and Tommy's wings automatically protected his body from the explosion. He felt his body being thrown back and his back hit the wall before he lost consciousness._

_The last thing he felt was the flames from the explosion burning his feathers.)_

  
  


Tommy wasn't going to give up, not like that.

He ran and jumped at the same moment the air flow started again, spreading his wings when his feet were groundless.

And he was pushed farther from the edge, farther than he had anticipated.

"Tommy!" Sam screamed and something caught him before he got too far and hit the other cliff, holding him like an anchor in the land

His wings were stretched out and it looked like he was going to be pulled up, the despair taking over his body as he looked down.

That was a bad idea

He would die if the chain ended and the rope came loose

"Tommy! Don't look down there! Look at me!" he looks into Sam's eyes, holding the other end of the rope "Look at me! I need an effort from you!"

Tommy couldn't answer, his throat dry and feeling his heart pounding in his ears.

"I know you're scared! But try to push yourself over the edge!"

"Sam! I... I d-don't-- I know if I can!" he screams back and his eyes inevitably turn down

"Tommy! Look at me!" they face each other again "You can do it! I'm holding you! Flap your wings, like you're flying! Push yourself over the edge!"

And Tommy does, he starts to beat really fast.

He remembers when he was younger and when he flew for the first time, when Phil released him in the air and he had to fight the current that pulled him down and stay suspended in the air.

He remembers when he last flew before his wings started to be destroyed.

He flaps his wings and starts to push himself in a shameful way, as if he's swimming in the air, but it works.

Sam has his eyes on him and is holding the rope tightly.

And he keeps his promise, he doesn't let go of Tommy.

When Tommy puts his feet on the ground, his knees buckle and he falls to the ground, Sam runs up to him desperate and worried, and hugs him tight.

He won't let go Tommy

He starts to whisper words of comfort, but Tommy can't concentrate on them, listening to his own heart beating and closing his eyes, grabbing the older man's coat like a lifeline.

And Tommy cries silently.

"Please, never scare me like that again"

* * *

Tommy was sitting on the floor, with a towel on his head as he felt Sam gently analyzing his wings.

"Okay... I think I got something," he says, standing up and looking at the old, damaged feathers on his floor.

He would clean it up later

"But I need you to tell me how your wings ended up like that" his tone is cautious when he sits down in front of Tommy, seeing his unfocused eyes looking at the floor.

Tommy was overthinking

"Tommy..." he calls the youngest, placing a hand on his shoulder and he shudders, his blue eyes staring at him "Is it okay with you? We don't need to do this"

_("Wilbur, you are being a moron. You are being insane!"_

_"I'm thinking," he says, focused._

_A dangerous gleam in his eyes._

_Wilbur was going crazy._

_He stuffed Pogtopia with buttons, he wanted to blow up Manberg._

_As Wilbur sank deeper and deeper into his spiral of insanity, Tommy's wings atrophied and lost their feathers._

_Tommy was too worried about his friend to notice.)_

"I..." he opens his mouth, but closes in a thin line and looks away "I... I prefer not to..."

They are silent and Sam sighs

"Ok... okay" he feels nervous saying that "But I still need to talk to you and it's important"

The boy's eyes stare at him, confused.

"Tommy... your wings are not good... you will not be able to fly, at least not in the current state that your wings are" he shudders "They are very damaged and it was almost a miracle that you managed to get to the edge, because technically, its wings are clipped. Most of its feathers are burnt and withered, many of those feathers that I took are old and were decayed "

He can see the tears accumulating on the boy's face in front of him, even though he is trying to hold on.

"I'm so sorry..."

And Tommy drops his head, letting the tears fall and some sniffles coming out.

It was expected. Deep down, he knew there was no fix.

But it doesn't mean that he had no hope.

Now he's just a broken thing...

"So that's why I created a plan"

He raises his head and looks at the greenish one, frowning.

"I don't know if it will work, but I can help create a kind of support for your wings, so they will hold on to themselves. Think of it as a false wing or, a prosthesis" Sam says cautiously "If you want to try, I can do that"

He is surprised when Tommy attacks him, hugging his torso and sobbing loudly, murmuring constant thanks.

Sam just smiles and strokes his blond hair.

* * *

While Tommy collects resources for the hotel's work at the behest of Sam Nook, Sam is busier at home, in his workshop.

Sometimes he would show up and take measurements of Tommy's wings, test some prototypes and make adjustments, to see if he was comfortable, if it worked and many other things.

It took two weeks until the official test.

"Tommy?" Sam slightly shakes the blond boy in front of him "Are you okay?"

He nods hesitantly, a little nervous.

"It's just... what if it doesn't work? What if I fall? And all the work you've done is for nothing?!"

"Tommy!" Sam puts his hands on his shoulder "Take a deep breath..."

And he does

"Great, now... stay calm and relax, you'll be able to do this. It won't be a first try, obviously, but you will, we did everything right. This will work"

"Okay... ok, ok..." he sighs and Sam smiles, setting his helmet on

"This is the spirit and, besides I will be downstairs to help you"

And Sam jumps off the tower, landing in the water and he looks up, giving a thumbs up.

Tommy takes a deep, nervous breath and he stretches his wings as far as he can, feeling Sam's prosthesis steady them.

"Whenever you want, Tommy!" Sam yells from below, encouraging, and Tommy is pulled out of his own memories.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, feeling the wind on his face.

When he opens them, he smiles determinedly and starts running to the edge of the tower, flapping his wings and he jumps.

It takes five seconds to sustain itself in the air with all the effort...

_("Put your stuff in the hole, Tommy"_

_The boy looks at the smiling mask and swallows dry._

_"Tommy, I'm not going to repeat it. Put your things in the hole"_

_And Tommy does, he doesn't know what Dream is going to do, but he's afraid Dream will do something worse with him if he runs out of patience._

_When the two hear the thump of Tommy's things against the rock, Dream takes an explosive out of his backpack and lights it over the hole._

_"Wait!"_

_Tommy dives but is not fast enough to stop TNT from blowing up his stuff._

_He is very close when the explosion happens and he is thrown out of the hole, in the grass, rolling and lying on his own wings, crushing and jamming his feathers._

_They are back in Logstedshire and Tommy faces the cut feathers in the hunter's hand._

_"I'm sorry, Tommy" he says, without remorse "But you were stupid, and now, you paid the price")_

...Until he falls.

Tommy is too desperate to notice Sam coming towards him with the trident until he feels the impact of the older man's body against him and the air running down his face, and the water softening the fall seconds later.

"Tommy! Tommy! Breathe!" Sam pleads desperately, seeing that Tommy is shaking and completely immersed in his own thoughts.

_("Tommy, you can't go on like this"_

_"What?" he turns around, staring at Techno's tall form at the door_

_"You are crushing your own wings in that coat. Come here, I will fix them"_

_"I don't need your help" he scoffs "I'm fine"_

_"Tommy, I know how to handle wings. Phil taught me before and I know that if you keep suffocating them, you will ruin them"_

_Tommy is quiet for some seconds and grunt_

_"Fine..." he drags on, following Techno, repressing his own nervousness and intrusive thoughts_

_~~'He's going to tell Phil'~~ _

_~~'He will see that you can't fly'~~ _

_~~'He will call you weak'~~ _

_"Sit on the floor" Techno instructs and Tommy forces himself to stand still, tapping his fingers on his knees_

_"...and take off your coat"_

_Tommy hesitantly does so and Techno is quiet for a few minutes._

_He starts to get anxious_

_"Maybe... we will stay in this for a long time, since you don't take care of yourself" he feels a hand in his hair and he looks up, looking into his red eyes "Is it okay if I touch them?"_

_~~'He will clip them'~~ _

_~~'He will hurt you'~~ _

_~~'Hide your weakness'~~ _

_Tommy shrugs, shaking imperceptibly._

_"Do what you want, bitch")_

"Tommy, breathe..." Sam instructs him and Tommy takes a deep breath "Good... now, just focus on me"

Sam keeps him breathing deeply for many minutes, until his heartbeat slows down and his shoulders and wings relax.

"Are you alright?" the elder asks softly and Tommy nods

"Do you want to try one more time?" Tommy denies

"Maybe... maybe tomorrow" he says shakily and Sam nods, taking the helmet off Tommy's head

"Tomorrow we try again, then"

  
  


It was not the first attempt.

And not even the second time

Unfortunately, the third time was not the charm

Tommy kept trying for two more months, but even if his attempts were unsuccessful, he was building up resistance and his air time was increasing.

He managed to travel short distances and managed to stay in the air during drizzles.

This was the first time that Tommy would attempt to walk the server, flying alone.

"Are you sure you're ready?" he asks, arching his eyebrow

"Hell yes! I'm ready, Big Man!" Tommy says smug and Sam just snorts, rolling his eyes

"I'm trusting you then" he puts the helmet on the boy's head "Don't forget this here"

"I would never forget" Tommy grumbles and looks down

"Are you sure you don't want me to follow you with the trident?" Sam offers, but Tommy denies it again "Okay, but let me know on the communicator if something happens"

"I will, don't worry"

And Tommy jumps off the edge, lifting himself up

His wings beating on his back and being supported by the mechanism that Sam invented. He rises higher in the sky and screams with joy.

It rises above the clouds and supports itself in the blue sky.

Tommy feels lighter than he felt a long time ago.

His brown and beige mottled wings shine against the sun and he dives, watching the tiny buildings and his friends walking along the main path.

He feels good and proud.

He feels happy.

Tommy doesn't even notice that there is another winged being watching him from the ground.

The black wings accompanying his back.

  
  
  



	23. Drowned dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil, Tommy and Techno go fishing.  
> It goes weird as you expect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Goats_Trophy
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> I'm so sorry for making you wait. I didn't had an idea and when I wrote it, my docs didn't save it so I had to write it all again 
> 
> ;-;

It was a very peaceful day.

Nobody needed to plan or do anything, so Phil convinced them to go fishing.  
He slightly regrets this idea.

Techno and Tommy kept fighting, more Tommy, over the fish they caught and the bait, rocking the boat. Phil just sighed, focusing on his own stick and he didn't even try to separate the two anymore.  
Ghostbur had stayed at the cabin, as he did not like being in contact with the water and if the fights intensified, they would have fallen into the ocean and Ghostbur could have melted.

"I swear, Tommy, stop stealing my worms!" Techno complains

"Then stop stealing my fish!" Tommy screams and the pink one rolls his eyes

"It's not my fault that they prefer my silent bait over yours, since you scream every time a fish comes close"

"Ah, your bitc--"

"You two, stop, you're going to scare the fish!" Phil says stiff and the two are quiet

The older blond just concentrates on watching his pole and is startled when he realizes that the rope is being pulled deeper into the water and the pulley is spinning like crazy.  
When he pulls the fishing rod, he is automatically pulling down and he needs to hold the edge of the boat tightly.

"Phil!" the two boys scream and help Phil to support himself and pull the fish out of the water.

Or at least, they think it's a fish.

"What the fuck is that ?!" Tommy screams, closing his eyes tightly and trying to balance himself on the boat

"Just be quiet and pull!" Techno says

And they use all the strength they can, Phil even uses his wings to balance the two forces.  
Something comes out of the water, and flies out, at the same time the boat falls to the side and the three are thrown into the ocean, as well as all their fishing stuff.

"What was that?!" Tommy asks, rising from the cold water, his teeth already trembling

"That was certainly not a fish!" Phil says laughing, the wet hat covering his eyes

"Don't tell me it was a shark" Techno snorts, pulling his crown out of the water

"Where did it fall?" Tommy asks excited

"I think it's over there!" Phil says, pointing to a pile of seaweed in the middle of a small island of ice. Tommy nods and starts to swim in that direction

"Phil, can you help me with the boat?" Techno asks and Phil nods.

The two dive into the icy sea and swim to the bottom, looking for the small wooden construction. When they lift the boat, Techno sees a disk floating in the water and he picks it up, the two of them go back to the surface, gasping for air.

"Guys?!" Tommy screams and when the older two see, Tommy is being hugged by a walking corpse

"Did we catch a drowned?!" Phil exclaims and starts to swim towards the boy while Techno faces the item in his hands.

It's a smiling mask  
It's the mask of Dream

"What....?" when his eyes stare at the corpse, he paralyzes

As much as the corpse had lost color and its eyes, Technoblade recognized Dream by the shape of the face, the stature and the rest of the clothes on the body.

There was no way ...

"Techno? Are you okay?" Phil asks, confused by the other's reaction

"Phil! He's alive!" Tommy screams, running to hide behind the older man's body when the corpse stands up

The corpse does not seem hostile, if it had been a normal drowning, it would have tried to attack them in the same second that Tommy had come close.  
Is weird. His clothes are moldy and rotten, his hair is faded and full of seaweed, his eyes are dark and he has no pupils, it looks like he is malnourished and there is a part of his face that has no skin, as if the fish had opened a hole .

"Uh... hello?" Phil starts, a little afraid as Tommy eavesdrop over his shoulder and grabs his coat in fear

The corpse just stares and waves, slowly lifting his arm.

"What the fuck?!" Tommy whispers-screams

"Well... I really don't know what's going on today, but we need to go home" Phil says, now turning to the boy behind him "We are all soaked and we can get sick"

"But what do we do with... this thing?"

"I... I don't know..." he turns to the water "Hey Techno, you--"

"Let's take him" the two are startled when they realize that the blood god is on their side, putting his cloak around the corpse

"But he's drowned! He can kill us!"

"He would have killed you already, Tommy" he replies "And besides, I'm... kind of confused about him"

"Why exactly?" Phil asks and Techno holds out the cracked mask "No... it can't be, can it?"

"But this is the mask of..." Tommy's eyes widen and he looks at Dream in front of him, indifferent and very confused by the red fabric around him "Dream..."

The two of them still stare at the drowned in front of him and the Techoblade snorts.

"You said you wanted to go back. What are you waiting for?"


	24. The irony of a monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is a monster, that everyone knows  
> But... aren't we all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Purplewitchii
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I'm satisfied but also... I'm not...?  
> It's confusing. I'm so sorry  
> I hope I could fulfill your expectations
> 
> :)

_He just looks at the landscape of L'man-- no, Manberg in front of him, plunged into the dark and the only source of light was the pale moon. The wind takes off his hood and ruffles his hair, the only sound is crickets and the wheezing of the man sitting on the edge of the terrace._

_The bottle of amber liquid in one hand and the cigarette hanging in the other._

_Dream narrows his eyes and straightens his posture._

_"President Schlatt, why did you call me here in the middle of the night?"_

_"Can't I talk to my favorite bodyguard?" he asks, his voice thick and hoarse, the smell of alcohol infesting his nose "I felt kind of philosophical today and I wanted to share my stuff"_

_Schlatt pats the floor beside him and Dream crawls over there, but doesn't sit._

_"You know, Dream, I realized something during my tenure"_

_"And what would it be?" he's not really interested in the daydreams of an old man like Schlatt_

_"How monsters are made" and he looks at the porcelain mask, but he doesn't mind the lack of reaction, looking back at the starry sky "Like, some people are born to become monsters, you know?"_

_"Monsters do bad things and often they have a noble reason, or one of that shit, sometimes they just do bad bad things because they want, and everyone thinks of them as the worst person on Earth and maybe they really are, but everyone did shitty stuff, but that's not the point. So... they do a good thing, and puff... "_

_Schlatt releases the cigarette that falls straight into the puddle, feet below his feet._

_"Nobody notices that one thing"_

_"But if they're monsters... they don't deserve to be noticed for that thing" Dream says without thinking_

_"I thought so too, believe me, but..." he takes a sip of whiskey and makes a face, the liquid burning his throat "but then I saw Tommy"_

_"Tommy? What about him?"_

_"He was born to be a hero, Dream" Schlatt says that and Dream can feel a bitter tone in his voice "Tommy did so many bad things, bad decisions and I wouldn't be surprised if in the future ..."_

_His yellow eyes stare at him as if he can see him through the mask_

_"He causes a war" he drinks more and hiccups "But, as Tommy was born to be a hero, he will be exempt from all these things. For every good deed he does, he will make two bad decisions and the blame will be from someone else "_

_"Because he is a hero?"_

_"Because he is a hero. Meanwhile, I, for example, will be branded a monster, or Technoblade. He can help those kids in the revolution... or whatever, but if he makes a mistake, he will be the worst person on that server "_

_"Honestly, Schlatt, but you never did a good deed in here" Dream says_

_And the ham chuckles and coughs_

_"I never really did, but if I did, would you know? Or would you have thought of me as a monster without knowing?"_

_The hunter is silent, until a question arises in his mind._

_"If Tommy was born to be a hero and you were to be a monster, or a villain... What does that make me?"_

_The president looks him up and down and drinks his drink, before looking at him with a smug smile on his face._

_"I still don't know... I couldn't test it, but..." Dream shivers imperceptibly when Schlatt changes his tone to a darker tone "I wouldn't be impressed if you were labeled as a monster"_

_"Monsters are born, not created, Dream. Remember that"_

Dream looks at the many pairs of eyes looking at him as if he were a wild animal.

Well, he is not really doubting that he is one from that point.

"Do you want me to help you..." his voice is more hoarse from disuse and he feels suffocated with the 'collar' "Stopping a strange vine that plagued the server?"

"What's so hard for you to understand?" Quackity asks, feeling little bit loose

"Are you asking me for help...? I mean, I really don't have anything else on that server"

"Weren't you the one who bragged about this being your server?" Tommy quips, but Dream doesn't even seem to mind the joke.

"To be quite honest, this stopped being my server from the moment the first war started"

"That doesn't matter!" Quackity screams, hitting the table and only Dream winces "You will help us or you will suffer a worse fate!"

He knows what this destination is, but Dream... can't help but feel funny.

Like... death stopped being a cruel fate a long time ago.

"What's funny?" Sapnap asks, a little frightened and he realizes he is laughing.

In fact, everyone is backing away, hands ready to reach for a weapon.

"Oh..." he smiles, inevitably "I'm just thinking a few things... with my buttons..."

"Stop smiling! This is a serious thing!" Tommy screams

Dream swears he is trying, but everything in this situation seems infinitely funny.

It's just... a big irony, like someone told him a joke a long time ago and only now that he understood.

"Dream, stop your games, or you won't be respawn again" Sam says and George points an arrow to his forehead

George...

It’s...

It's so funny…

~~_It’s not funny_ ~~

"You can kill me, Tommy already took my lives," he shrugs

He stopped caring a while ago.

"You don't care about us anymore, to the point that you don't want to save the server..." Niki comments "How monster have you become?"

Ah... there it is

Schlatt, your motherfucker...

He... he can't stop smiling

~~_Why is he smiling?_ ~~

~~_Stop smiling_ ~~

"Ah god..." he laughs, feeling the nervousness and stress already forming in his stomach "Ah god... I don't think you understand..."

"I stopped caring about that shit the moment you stopped caring too"

"What do you mean?" Tubbo asks and Dream hits his handcuffs against the table

"Stop pretending innocence" he gasps, exasperated and no one dares to move. "I gave three. THREE rules so that this place doesn't break into chaos. And what you do to me, break the three rules!"

"Maybe I was too tough, you know?" he says, laughing miserably "Maybe if I had left two rules, or no, no, one rule. Actually, scratch that, maybe if I had left this fucking server without rules! We wouldn't be here. In fact, all of us would be dead! "

"If with just one fucking nation, there were three different wars, imagine if I had let each of us create a fucking country in SMP?! This place would be desolate. Each of you would have sought power in a way or another, and another five thousand wars would be fought "

"But, no, come on guys, blame Dream for everything that goes wrong, because he is the admin, so he automatically needs to provide our wills" he starts shaking slightly, waving his trapped hands from side to side "Your house was blown up by a creeper? Blame Dream. Did your axe break? Blame Dream. A son of a bitch took power because other people voted for him? Blame fucking Dream! "

He's screaming now

~~_He broke_ ~~

"Do it because it gets easier after a while. You also realized. You realized how much easier it is to blame others instead of yourself. You realized how easy it is to lie and after a while, the bitter taste disappears. You realized how to steal if it became almost second nature, manipulating people became a game and stabbing them in the back is a fun thing to watch "

"I can be a monster, and with good reason! But I know every shit that each of you did and you know every shit that you did here. Blackmail becomes a secret weapon, right, Tommy?"

"Nobody here is innocent. There is no black and white, we are all shit people and each of you knows that"

And he laughs again

"An old acquaintance told me about something that is true. People are born to be heroes and monsters. Heroes here are placed on pedestals and everyone ignores every mistake they make, and if monsters make those same mistakes" he whistles "They they are crucified! They are considered unforgivable and deserve to die or whatever other torture you thought!"

"Yes, I blew up your country, I destroyed the community home, manipulated Tommy and did a lot of things, but who else did these things, huh ?!" he smiles with all his teeth and the sight is frightening

"Drea--"

"No, no, now I want to see each of you in the spotlight, because if I was pulled in the sun, you will have that chance too!" it looks like it will start to foam by the mouth

"Tommy set George's house on fire with Ranboo, Quackity helped elect a tyrant and helped arm the execution of Tubbo, Sapnap killed every person's pets in that place, Tommy used Technoblade, blackmailed me with Spirit, Niki burned L ' mantree, George, Quackity, Sapnap and Karl tried to defraud Eret to get the crown back, Techno and I blew up L'manburg, but you tried to execute him before a trial, Tubbo stole my sword, Wilbur blew up the nation itself, Bad, apparently, started an egg cult that is plaguing the server, Tommy stole and lied saying that Techno's ax was not with him, he and Techno kidnapped Connor, the office put Phil under house arrest after they threatened him, Fundy started a hit list, Wilbur, Tommy and Tubbo started a fucking drug van "

He shouted each item as hard as he could, feeling his hands tremble and hearing only his own heartbeat.

"If we all did these crimes, then why only few of us are crucified by them?!" he screams, tears already reaching his eyes

~~_He was crazy_ ~~

~~_He was furious_ ~~

He was tired... so tired

"ANSWER ME, FUCK!" he screams, banging the handcuffs against the table once more, feeling the metal start to slit his wrists

No one answers, everyone is very scared by the blond's frighteningly sudden explosion.

Dream never screamed or freaked out like that, maybe the closest thing to that was when they were in the wall treaty.

But it seems that six months in total isolation can change a person.

He takes a deep breath and begins to count the seconds in silence.

He can't calm down.

He is still agitated and he can't stop.

~~_He just wants to die_ ~~

He just wants to grab his own hair and pull hard, until he sees stars

He wants to run and escape the glares that strike him

He wants to cry

He wants this to stop...

He wants to apologize...

...

Dream doesn't even know what he wants anymore.

_"Why did we need to meet here?"_

_Dream is on the podium that they used in the elections and at the festival._

_Who is with him is Wilbur, his eyes shining something dangerous._

_"I just wanted to enjoy the view" he says, smiling and taking a deep breath, feeling the night wind "And talking to you, Tommy is not an ideal company and he is taking care of Tubbo, Techno is good for that kind of thing, but he was busy, so... "_

_He smiles and Dream arches an eyebrow under the mask._

_"So am I your last option?"_

_"Well, you must be used to it already" the rebel sits on the edge of the stage and pats on the wood_

_Unlike the night with Schlatt, Dream sits next to Wilbur Soot._

_"What do you want to talk about?"_

_"I... I was alone for a while during those days" he says, rubbing his arm nervously "And I started to think something"_

_"I think I understand why you blew up L'manburg during the war, Dream"_

_The masked man looks away from the landscape to face the ex-president._

_"Really, I think I understand..." Wilbur says and sighs "Unfortunately I needed to be exiled from my own nation to understand his point, but... life is as it is"_

_"And what did you conclude?"_

_"The lands were yours, you created them and then ... a bunch of "kids" start doing drugs and try to separate your lands. When Schlatt kicked me out, I felt like you... kicked out of the own land you made"_

_"During the war I called you a tyrant and a lot of bad things, which I'm not really proud of. During the elections, Quackity called me technically the same thing, and that he wanted to compete because he didn't think it was fair just me running... so I realized that it's more a matter of perspective "_

_"Perspective?"_

_"I called you a monster without realizing that other people called me that too"_

_"Monster is a very strong word, Wilbur and besides, there's not much you can do when you're a monster" he says, remembering Schlatt's phrase_

_"Yeah, I mean, monsters are not born, they are created by other people" Wilbur says, taking a button out of his pocket "When you call these people a monster, you create a monster and they believe in that truth."_

_"I said you were a tyrant and everyone started calling you that, I created a monster, Dream, and that was you" Dream can swear that there are some tears in the corners of his dark eyes "I created this figure and they never will to be able to stop seeing you like this and one day... that vision will be true "_

_"The more you are called that, the more you start to believe them" Wilbur says, now staring at him "I'm sorry, Dream..."_

_Dream doesn't have much to say or answer, so he just puts a hand on Wilbur's shoulder, it's not a warm thing, but it's comforting._

_"Monsters are created, not born, Dream. Remember that"_

When he comes to himself, still agitated, but not to the point of falling into a crisis again, he feels a hand on his shoulder.

It is not a warm thing ~~_(he ruined the moment too much for that)_~~ , but it is comforting.

His green eyes meet Puffy's brown eyes and he crawls away, violently, he feels the floor on him and the wall against his back.

~~_He sees her hurt eyes_ ~~

When did he sit on the floor?

She is kneeling in front of him and he can feel that he is being cornered.

~~_Why couldn't she get rid of him at once?_ ~~

~~_You don't want to cause mom pain, do you?_ ~~

...

~~_No, of course not_ ~~

"Dream... are you still here?" she asks softly, sweet as honey, as if he hadn't yelled at them all a few seconds ago

How fucked up is _~~he~~_ the situation?

He just wants to go back to his box in prison...

He is so tired

"Uh..." he takes a deep breath and tries to get up with difficulty, since his hands are trapped "Oh..."

He sees the pictures spread on the table

"Hm... right, the vines... I... ok, this is shameful because I don't know... I don’t know what they are?" he hesitates, not looking at any of them, just tapping gently on the wood of the table and staring at the photos.

"Dream?"

"Hm?" he feels a hand on his face and he is forced to look at Puffy

His eyes start to shake with nerves

"Uh... Captain Puffy... I can't see if--" she uses her thumb to rub the trail of tears on his cheek and it almost knocks him out.

That is the first contact of affection he has... he thinks since the beginning of the server

It's scary how unaware he was of it

It is scary that there are more than twenty people wanting to kill him in this room and she is showing affection to him

"It's okay to cry, don't worry..." she says

Dream didn't notice when he started to cry

"Come here" she hugs him lightly, as if he is being pressed against a marshmallow

It's cuddly, smooth and ... it's good...

He feels circles being made on his back and it makes him feel worse

He just yelled at them... why was she...?

"Cry as much as you need, don't worry about anything, just... get it out"

Is he sobbing?

~~_He has his head pressed to her shoulder and everyone is hearing despair in his crying_ ~~

They know how much he's lost

They know how pathetic he is being

~~_Are they going to kill him and will he be able to sleep in peace now?_ ~~

He hears nothing but her voice.

"You can hug me, duckling, it's okay"

Dream fails because his arms are trapped.

And even if they weren't, he couldn't, not like that.

~~_He was going to hurt her, like everyone else_ ~~

He couldn't, he didn't...

He didn't deserve...

He shouldn't ...

He doesn’t...

He wants to go back to his dark box and languish there forever.

His eyes blurs and everyone loses Dream until the next morning.

* * *

During that comfort section, the blood vines slowly twisted into the earth.

As if they were... shrinking... crawling back as if they were calm now

_~~But nobody noticed it...~~ _


	25. The blood seed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wither and decay  
> End this bloodlust  
> Break this cicle of violence  
> And set this child free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like a part 2 and @Purplewitchii allowed me to do it
> 
> It's not exactly a part 2, it's more about the red egg and how it's connected to the admin, or how it's connected to Dream  
> It's like a headcannon mashed up with the request, and also like a bad bad ending to 'Irony of a monster'
> 
> Also the index it's based on the lyrics of Hurt Incantation (because one day I thought about Dream singing this while the egg possessed him)
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (I'm kinda disappointed with myself, really ;-;)
> 
> :)

It starts with a little seed.

As soon as Dream created its first server, a small seed was formed in the center of the world, buried seven feet underground.

Dream SMP was created together with the egg

Contrary to what many people think, Bad and Skeppy, or everyone else in Balands did not grow the egg, Dream did.

But it wasn't just his fault, far from it...

The seed was harmless and out of sight for everyone, and it spent months sleeping, without growing.

Until L'manburg was born.

A nation within his lands, growing illegally and formed to increase drug trafficking. A nation formed by disobedience and stubbornness.

Anger and bitterness grew around his heart and clouded his mind in red mist. Downstairs, the little seed woke from its sleep.

The war ravages the server and Wilbur calls the admin a monster and a tyrant.

The seed twitches and opens up little by little while Dream feels distressed and a cold, pale mask hides his being.

It is a sensation that burns him while all eyes are fixed on him.

The first vine escapes his cradle and condemns the land.

When Schlatt takes office, Wilbur and Tommy are exiled and Dream can't help but be bitterly satisfied.

They deserved it... _~~right?~~_

As Schlatt's tyranny grows, everyone's hatred grows towards him and automatically, hatred towards Dream grows too.

After all, if someone is on Schlatt's side, that person is a monster, _ ~~especially if it's Dream.~~_

Red stains the earth, both from below and from the surface.

_ "I still don't know... I couldn't test it, but... I wouldn't be impressed if you were labeled as a monster" _

_ "Why you say that?" _

_ "They hate you because you put those three rules in and you refused to give L'manburg independence" Schlatt laughs "And I think for a fair reason, actually. L'manburg caused good problems for you" _

_ "Where are you going with this?" he asks, feeling enraged _

_ Schlatt laughs out loud in a hoarse voice and coughs from the smoke in his lungs _

_ "Monsters need to come together, right?" he says, with a roguish smile on his face _

_ Dream disappears in purple dust, leaving the president behind. _

Crimson paints the stage of the dais, stains the stone below their feet, their bodies fall as fireworks color the sky and deafen with each crack.

The red is born, it grows and more vines look for the exit, they look for the surface.

The pale mask faces the scene with old sadness... it is disappointing.

His mind falls ill with red and his heart is hardened with every word of hate and contempt.

_ "I'm sorry, Dream..." Wilbur says in a tearful voice "Don't believe them..." _

_ "What?" _

_ "You are not going to become a monster..." he says and Dream is too confused to say anything "They say you are one, but don't believe them..." _

_ Then he smiles _

_ "It was never meant to be you..." _

Uncertainties and insecurities clouding his sense

The vines twist in only one way.

Up.

When everything burns red hot and turns to smoke, Dream laughs...

He laughs at destruction and chaos.

All they hear is their laughter when the smoke clears.

And all they can think about is how cruel and sadistic he is.

He laughs and cries alone for the destruction of a land that was cursed on the day he was born.

No one is there to hear when his laughter turns into screams and sobs, asking to go back to a time when nothing has been taken or destroyed from him.

The vines come closer to the surface and a flower ravages in a cave below their feet.

There's a reason why they call him a monster

He wonders when he embraced that vision.

They accuse him of manipulation, accuse him of war, death, murder, theft, blackmail accuse him of everything.

But his hands are just as dirty as his.

When Tommy sets George's house on fire, he fights to get away from the consequences, he lies and tries to convince Tubbo not to punish him.

Dream lifts the walls while the vines rise up inside the cave.

They call him a villain on his back and he smiles.

Did they want a villain? They will get what they wanted then

~~_ Stop _ ~~

~~_ Just stop _ ~~

~~_ I JUST WANTED A HOME _ ~~

Tommy tries to burn Spirit's leather and it fills Dream with a dark feeling

~~_ Disappointment? _ ~~

~~_ Bitterness? _ ~~

~~_ Sadness? _ ~~

~~_ No _ ~~

Hate

He screams at the top of his lungs that he doesn't care about anything but the records.

~~_ It's a lie _ ~~

He's tired of his stuff being taken from him.

So he's going to take everything Tommy has, because that's what Tommy has already done to him.

Because that's what monsters do.

Red and black cover green.

The strands wrap around his puppet and he smiles

Someone discovers the cave with the bloody vines.

These vines are formed by the blood that has soaked this server since its inception.

He becomes the most cruel being on the server. He loses friends and everyone wants to end him.

Monsters are created, not born.

~~_ There is a voice in his head that asks him to stop. _ ~~

~~_ It asks him to ask for help. _ ~~

~~_ It asks him not to be alone. _ ~~

They all took something from him.

They all made mistakes like him.

~~_ So why can't he take everything away from them? _ ~~

Why can't he make mistakes?

Why is he the monster?

~~_ Because you chose to be like this _ ~~

~~_ They called me that _ ~~

~~_ I just gave them what they wanted _ ~~

...

~~_ You have no more salvation _ ~~

~~_ I know... I just wish someone had saved me first _ ~~

~~_ You chose to be a monster, now suffer from the consequences. _ ~~

Bad, Punz and Ant go crazy over the cave.

The flower blooms and reveals a red egg that talks to them in their minds. The vines finally reach the sunlight and Eggpire laughs with madness and blood-red eyes.

Dream weaves its web of lies while the vines twist through its land, like a plague.

Everyone comes together to take him down.

It would be a beautiful sight if it weren't painful.

Tommy takes his two lives off and that's finally fair.

Dream had taken his two lives off before.

He is dragged to a dark box inside Pandora's safe.

And he will languish there forever.

In the first few months, Dream doesn't think this is entirely fair. Many of them had committed crimes as he did, and they were never prosecuted.

Then he remembers Schlatt's phrase, no matter what you do, if you were born to be a monster, you will be one.

He created this place, they destroyed his home with a corrupt nation.

But it doesn't matter because he is a monster.

There are vines growing around his heart, a small seed opening.

It is blood all he sees while banging his head.

Screams of agony fill the box as Dream cries over something he missed a long time ago.

He wants to apologize

He wants to be forgiven

He wants comfort

~~_ But he doesn't deserve it. _ ~~

They forgave Eret so easily

They forgave Quackity so easily

They forgave Tommy so easily

They would forgive Wilbur so easily, he's sure

Then why...?

Why?

~~_ Because he is a monster _ ~~

The vines swallow the tallest buildings and cover them with red.

He feels so tired...

It feels so... empty

He feels... willing to die

He's sorry

~~_ What does it matter to apologize if no one will listen to you? _ ~~

He feels... nothing

Six months of isolation

It's six months of numbness

It's six months of unheard excuses

It's been six months since he realizes he doesn't care.

He doesn't care if he's going to die

He doesn't care about getting hurt, _~~scratching his own arms and pulling his own hair, beating his hands against the dark obsidian~~_

He doesn't care that everyone hates him

He doesn't care that he's alone

~~_ He cares _ ~~

Sometimes he screams in anger, he screams saying that it’s not fair

Sometimes he screams excuses, screams saying that he just wants a chance

~~_ A chance that none of them gave him. _ ~~

They already destroyed his house and his things, his life doesn't matter anymore

What else does he have to lose?

Nothing, because he has lost enough

When the vines almost hit the server, everyone realizes that they need help from the admin.

Sam comes for him inside the cell and Dream struggles to leave.

~~_ He wants to stay in his home, the one that nobody destroyed _ ~~

He wants to stay in the dark room

He wants to be ~~~~_~~with someone~~_ alone

Everyone notices his deplorable state, but nobody cares

He deserves it... ~~_but why does it look so wrong?_~~

They hear screams from him and _~~real~~_ accusations, but no one offers comfort.

Puffy doesn't go up to him and offers him a shoulder, ~~ _no matter how much some part insists she needs to do i_~~ t.

They take him to the cave below and his bare feet burn among the vines. It's like a heart beating in his head.

The egg is like a heart

It's so hot unlike his _~~home~~_ cell 

The thinner and smaller vines wrap him around the ankles and stroke his bare face and he feels ticklish.

He laughs for the first time in months, like a child

His laughter echoes the cave and the egg beats faster in his mind.

I̵͎͙̤̐͜ ̷̯̾̑̊h̵͈͕̣̱̔̉͌̚ẻ̷͍͜a̸͚͂ř̵̪̣̮ ̸̦͕̺̀̑̂̈́y̷̨̩̋̌̐͠ỏ̴͖̹̪u̵̡͇̰̰̓̔, ̸̙̬̗͐͜ ̴̨̯̀̉̆c̶͉̱͆h̴̻͗̓i̶̹̓͛͝l̶̡̔̃̑d̸̝̩̄̌͠

The thicker vines twist to ward off the unwanted, who despair and attack the vines with their swords, but nothing has any effect.

Į̵̤̝̇͊͂͠ ̶͕̥̉͗̚͝h̶̗͍͎̓͜͝e̶̮̹̻͂a̴̗̘͐͒̃̉r̴̯͓͆̀͋d̵̪́ ̵̢͚̯̭̓̊̌͋y̸͕̫̾̌̏̚o̸̠͕̊̏ͅͅu̵͓̥̖̓r̷̬̮̔ ̴̦̔c̴̥͎̬͗ṙ̶̢̮̇̈́͜i̸̢̭̖͉̓͆́͌ȅ̴̛̫͔͖͘͠ͅs̵̲͋̏ ̷͙̱͕͐͛͌ą̵̀̋́n̸͎͒d̴̤͖̓͊ ̵̮͆s̴̛͇̀̑̚͜ų̶̙̜̔͆f̸̨̧̺̈́̽̿̆f̸͖̏̿͜e̵̜͙͈̽r̷̠̦͌i̴̞͐n̵̜̭̟͈̈͐̄̚g̵̩͓̟̱̾́̕͝

He smiles and everyone can see his eyes, which were once opaque green, now in bright red.

"You did?" it's a voice as broken as the one they heard before

As he screamed, it was like he was going crazy or lost. Now it was more like he was a frightened child and someone had given him hope.

Ì̴̧͙̞͝ͅ ̷̨̲̉ḏ̶̍̅̅͋̀i̴̬͐̃͗̀d̴͕̄̋͘͠͝

Ḭ̴͊'̸̢̭̞̹̅͐̓͌͝ͅl̷̰̰̟̲͑l̴͍̟͑̏͑͜͝͠ ̸̨͇̗͇̦̊̈́̎̃̚g̴̦͔͚̯͓̓̄̔̈́͝i̸̛͖̊̏̽͊͜ṿ̷͕̲͋̉͘e̴̺̭̊̑̈́ ̴̰̙͂͌́̐̌ŷ̴̗̪̟͉̈́̽̋ǒ̷̗͆̄̔͝u̴̹͔̗̗̎̊͘ ̴̞͈̊͂̒̇ͅa̶̟̲̤͐̕͜ ̴̯͇͒́h̶̦̺̥̔̈͝u̴̥͇̰̅g̷̡͚͉̤̥͗̉̈́ ̷̛̠͔͌ą̴̭̍͝n̷̫̖̿̎͘d̶̖̯̦͚̐̔́ ̵̡̖̱̗̖́͒̐m̷̡͖̫̣̙̐̓̀ȃ̸̡̡͖͇̓͐͠k̶̩͍̕e̸͕̰̤̼͋̃̐̚ ̵̧̘̯̿ͅy̴̗͔͒͛̈͠͠ờ̴̼̚͠ǘ̵̙̅ ̴̗̜͕́͛͗h̴͕̯̣̏̒́͜a̴̧̿̇͝p̵̛̞̪͂p̷̳͚̓̉̄̏y̶̨̡̛̗̩͑̽͒́ ̷̤̒͘ä̴̲̣́g̸̩̻̣̀̾̚ạ̵̙̋̓͝ỉ̸̘̗͌̒̔n̷̗͗̀͒̇̕

D̸̡̝̳͈̊͘ó̷̧̻̗ ̸̪̀̓̑ŷ̸̪̬̘̆̃̽̚͜ọ̸̼͕̍̀̊͗̆u̶̯̩͔̓ ̴̼͙̽w̵̤̥͔̼͋̓̀͜͠ą̶̩̼̙̤̀̈̐̄͝n̶̢̠͔̞̎̈́̾͒̕ẗ̷̺̻͌̐ ̵͎̆̚͘t̷̡̨̜̮̲̎͒̃͛͠ỡ̵̢̘̪͐͑ ̸̖͍̣̾̑͑̕s̴͖̥͉͍͔͗͂̕l̸̠͈͈̰̜̈́ẹ̶͊ͅe̴͇̔͊p̷̼͕͍̭̹̋̌̌͋̀ ̷̜̣́̾̓̑f̷̺͓̆̎ọ̴̺̏̊̄̎͠r̷̠̍̀ę̴̛̛̻̹̓͝v̶̞́̿̓̍̚ë̵̢͇͛̕r̷̹̀͆? ̸̰͔̦͍̏́͐͑ ̶̬͙̫͓̎͠N̴̳̳̫̣̰͋o̴̤̍͂̈́̿͠ͅť̷̡̨́h̷͇͕̳̫̾̀ḯ̸̭͐̎̍̚n̶̡͎̲̫̭̉ģ̴͇̤̏̂̅ ̴̧̦͍͛̇͗̒͑c̶͚͠a̵̡̗͗̍̽͠n̵̢̯̮̼͋̎̓ ̷̭̄ḣ̵̖̅̑͑̈́ͅu̵̧̢̍̕ŕ̷̯̯͕̑̎͠t̸̢͖͓̑ ̵̠̱͍̩͂̓̈́̆y̷͈̮͇͋̇̾̾o̴̞͈̫̙̙̔̋̏̽̚ü̸͔̩

"I... I want... I want my home..." he confesses with a childish and strange smile on his face, his eyes consumed in blood red, losing white.

Ÿ̶̧͇̙̙́͆̈́̾ǒ̷͔͈̀͜u̷͇̠̦̖̒ͅ ̷̛̳͙̍̏w̶̠̯͉̺͊ḯ̴̧̦̹̪̿̕̕͝l̴̡̻̟͇̓ḻ̵̡͙̆͛̓ ̴̨͖̱̩̏̋̉̅ḫ̵̝͔͒̊a̵̟̓͗̈͊v̷̨͍͋é̸̛̯̒̓̓ ̶̞̈́̎͗̕͝ý̴̭̯͈̠̮̅͐̈́͘o̸̹̙̼̩͂͛ư̶̧̪̫̤͙̌̆̾r̸̯͚̹̩̊̔̚̚ ̵̡͈̫͖̤̏̂h̷̟̤̯́̀̌̒͂o̷͉͇͇͍͂̆͆͗̂m̷̲̹͚̣̾͝ḙ̸̤͓́̒͗̊̅, ̸̹̥̌̋̃͝ ̸̲͕̬̀̈̓̿c̶̻͑̽h̷̬̎̒i̴̛͓̬̟̹̪͂̈́̕͘l̵̬̳͒d̷̫͉̬̳̊̏

C̵͍͚̹̋̃ͅō̵̮̠͜m̶̰̍́͜è̶̲͔̱̬̱͂́̂ ̵̨͆ͅw̶̨̥͉͑i̷̡̐̈́̅ṫ̸̺̩̜̔h̶̘̻̮̜̃ ̶̻̂m̸͕̣͐e̷̢̜̘͒̂̚

The vines push him slightly towards the egg and he hears screams behind him.

~~_ It's Puffy, George, Sapnap, Punz and Sam _ ~~

He just hears strange noises, he doesn't know that language, so he ignores

The egg opens one of its petals, it was a flower all the time...

It’s like a cocoon and it feels very warm

It looks cozy

~~_ He wants to go home _ ~~

W̷̨̜̽̾̽ͅí̷̡͈̭͂͋͠t̶͙̞̙̬͘ḩ̵̖͖̯̜̏̊e̷̡͍̟̦̹̎̂̊r̵̢̛̼̬̠̭̓̿̒ ̸̯͌̆̈a̸̦̅̑̔̈̒ṋ̵͒͂d̶̮͖̜̖̐͌́̽͊ ̷̺̺͚̳͖́͝d̶̗̹̼̎͑ͅę̴̱͊ĉ̷̦͉̱̅̚͝ȁ̶̳̦̜̪͑̓͜y̵̢̫̥̙̓̉̏̈͘͜

Ȩ̴̯̮̺̃̔̓͂͜n̷͙͓̖͚̈́́͗͊̿͜d̶̨̛̰̍́̓ ̴͔̺̾̔͊t̸͇̆h̷̢̛̜̞̯̠̍̈͐̋ĭ̴̙͚͋͝s̸̱̖̚ ̵͉̣̈́͘̕b̸̜̹͙̑́̒̿ĺ̶͕̆̾́̈́ǫ̴̟͎̟͗̇̈́̎̔o̶̢̧͖͉̟͂̉̌ḍ̵̢̡͕̗͆̚ĺ̷̨̨̥̣ͅu̸͕͂̉s̵̮͔͚̤͋ť̷͇͉̥̎̌̍

B̵̧̢̺̦̙̃ŕ̸̳̌͠e̷̮̱͑͂̀̌a̵̢̛̓ḵ̵͈̤̽ ̶̜̈́͑t̸̗͛̀h̶̨͎̜̑̈́i̷̡͔̟̮̼͐͆̌s̸͓̘͈̋̽̃ ̴̨̦̫̞̑̓̕c̷̡̠̰̈̂̃̌į̸̜͉͈͑̓̈́͌͘c̷̫̖̃̾l̷̻̔̾̃͒è̸͍͑̎̄̚͜ ̴̰̻̀ǒ̷̡̬̗͑͒͐͜f̴̫̀̈́̎͊ ̶̧̑͠ͅv̴̰͇̙̎͆̎i̷̜̹͒͗̆͝ͅo̶̻̯̬̽͋̋̀l̴͙̅͒̊͆e̸̪̺̐͌n̶̦̤͐̌̃̎͂c̶͇̈́̿̔ê̴̠͕̖̝͈

A̵̡̮̮̯͂͗̂̒̑ͅn̷͓̻̻͚̭͆͘d̶̩̪̘̓̏ ̷̧͔̖̭̈́̀ș̶̰̮̝̈́̀̚ͅḙ̸͎̫͎̹̊̕t̵͇͎̎ͅ ̷͙͆̿̓t̶̠̃̌ḧ̴͕̻͛i̵̛̺̘̞̼̪̾s̶̟̋͑̀̂͑ ̷̨̧͇̻̂̚͘c̵̲̞̓̀̋͠h̸̲̬̀̓̑̈i̶͉̥͑͝l̷̪͚͆̎d̶͙͚̮͓͚̉ ̸̦͎̍ḟ̴̨̻̹̭̝r̶̨͎̄͊͐̿è̴̪͇̾͜͝e̷̡̲̹͍͔̎͛

When he turns around, he recognizes everyone calling him and trying to fight with the red vines hindering his passage.

Do they look... desperate?

Why are they desperate?

He is fine

~~_ Let me out _ ~~

~~_ He doesn’t see the petal closing the cocoon and the vines trapping it inside the egg. _ ~~

A scream of pain echoes in the air

"DREAM!"

~~_ "...mom?" _ ~~

  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The egg:  
> I hear you, child  
> I heard your cries and suffering  
> I did  
> I'll give you a hug and make you happy again  
> Do you want to sleep forever? Nothing can hurt you  
> You will have your home, child  
> Wither and decay  
> End this bloodlust  
> Break this cicle of violence  
> And set this child free  
> Come with me


	26. Butterscotch-cinnamon pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Tubbo fight, but he runs away and pass out in the forest  
> Luckily, or unfortunately, Dream finds him
> 
> They are both emotionally stunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Karochan05
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it
> 
> (Is this too short? I'm disappointed with myself, I'm sorry, tell me if you want me to rewrite it)

"TOMMY! Can't you see that I'm busy!?" Tubbo shouted, stressed, clapping his hands on the table

Tommy closed his jaw in an audible click, stepped back and flinched.

"I'm trying to resolve something urgent! Can you please stop disturbing me?!"

"You are being a bitch" he mumbles

"Am I being a bitch?! I'm busy and I told you this over a thousand times" he can see Tubbo's horns start to grow and curl

"What can be more important than your best friend?!"

"A mess that your best friend made! You started this and now I need to think of a way to fix your mess!"

"I saw you walking with Ranboo, how do you explain that?"

"He was helping me set up the room where we are going to meet, unlike you who didn't help me at all and are jealous of something stupid!"

"I am not!"

"So why are you behaving like a child?!" its ram's ears flick nonstop

"I'm not! We are the same age!"

"Yeah, but it looks like I'm the oldest while you're setting fire to other people's homes and looking like a child instead of L'manburg's vice president!" Tubbo screams, hands crumpling papers on his desk

"Fuck you!" Tommy screams, furious and hurt and runs out of the room

He opens the door and runs over Fundy and Quackity, who call his name, but he keeps running away

It runs until it is off the server

He runs until his lungs burn

He runs until he has no more tears

He runs until his legs start to weaken

He runs until he passes out and the first rays of sunlight illuminate the forest

* * *

When he wakes up, he is welcomed with a blanket and a lightly lit room.

The room is dark beyond the small lamp on the dresser beside the bed.

He tries to sit on the bed and looks around the room, looking for something familiar. There are two chests, some plants, portraits that he cannot see his face. His shirt is still with him, but on top there is a dark red sweater that doesn't hurt his eyes and on his lap, there is a cat.

The collar says the cat's name is Patches

Who has a cat called Patches?

The bedroom door opens and he finds the last person he wanted to see.

Dream

The stupid mask hanging over his face, but otherwise it's just strangely ridiculous, he's barefoot, wearing sweatpants and a black T-shirt, his green sweatshirt out of sight and wearing a pink apron.

The first thing he does is laugh

"Are you ridiculous, green boy, or should I say, pink boy?" he smirks, he can hear Dream huff, but he doesn't respond, entering the room, but leaving the door open "Did you decide to look like Technobitch?"

Dream still on the answer and gets closer

"Hey, I'm talking to you"

He sits in the chair near the bed and holds out a plate towards the teenager he has just seen.

It looks like a piece of pie.

"Eat, you blacked out for a whole day"

"What makes you think I'm going to take your food?"

Tommy's stomach rumbles and he hugs himself, embarrassed

"Eat before it gets cold"

"You probably poisoned this" Tommy says grumpily, but takes the plate

"If you are allergic to cinnamon, then you better not even try"

"What is that?" He starts to chop the food with his fork, looking for anything

"Butterscotch-cinnamon pie, Puffy's recipe" he replies

"Do you know Puffy?" he asks arching his eyebrow

"She's my mother"

"You have family?!" he exclaims, incredulous and Dream scoffs

"It's not just you who have a family, Tommy"

"Yes, but you are homeless"

"No, actually, we're at my place and I literally don't like how you found me, I'm too far from the server"

The memories of the previous day come back like a thump and Tommy forces himself to stick a piece of the pie in his mouth.

It was more because he didn't have to say anything to Dream, and also because he was hungry. Surprisingly, the pie was not a disaster, but he wouldn't admit it out loud, so he kept sticking it in his mouth until he choked and coughed.

"God, Tommy" Dream pats him on the back and the cat on his lap seems to wake up slowly "You didn't need to eat that fast"

"I do what I want"

"So suffocate yourself with cake" he says, annoyed

"Fuck off" and he coughs again

After that, they were in an uncomfortable silence, with Dream pulling the cat, Patches, onto his lap, petting him, while Tommy ate submerged in his own thoughts.

"May I ask why are you so far from L'manburg?"

"It's none of your business" he replies, scowling

"I think it's fair" he mumbles "Will you want to come back today?"

He wanted it?

Did he want to face Tubbo?

Did he want to see his disappointed face?

Did he want to come back?

"From your look, I would say no" Dream sighs and gets up, stealing the empty plate from the teenager's hands "Look, you don't have to accept it, but you can stay here if you want"

"Why do you think I would accept your shit offer?"

"Tommy, you don't have to be insulting and insulting me every five minutes. You look like a child" he snorts

_ You look like a child _

"I’m not a fucking child!" he screams, furious, hands gripping the blanket tightly

_ So why are you behaving like a child? _

_ TommyInnit, the child of the Dream SMP... how pathetic _

_ It looks like I'm the oldest while you're setting fire to other people's homes and looking like a child instead of L'manburg's vice president! _

He comes out of his daydreams when he feels a hand and his shoulder and he moves to the side, violently, facing Dream, but prevented from sending him away.

The mask was on his hair and Tommy could see his entire face. Green eyes, freckles, scars. An ordinarily normal face.

But it scares anyway

"Tommy... I know you hate it when we call you a child, but I thought you took it as a joke" Dream says sincerely "What happened?"

"N-- nothing..." he says, his voice breaks and Tommy hates himself for it

Dream looks at Tommy's red eyes and sighs

He was never good with this emotional shit

"Look... maybe I need to help make something for dinner" he starts, hesitant and Tommy looks at him, frowning "Just because I know how to make pie doesn't mean I can cook"

The boy laughs tearfully

"You admitting you don't know how to do something? Green boy is not that invincible"

"Shut up, I never said I was" he says smiling and goes to the door "Come on"

In the end, they almost burn Dream's kitchen, but he thinks it's worth it. Tommy's smile is more open at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the pie is a undertale reference, since Puffy is like a sheep as Toriel...  
> I thought it was funnier in my head
> 
> Anyway! News!  
> I'm starting school again, and you know how things are...  
> Also, I'll try to start a new story but I don't know if it will work


	27. Memento Mori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spending the eternity with your demon isn't that bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This request belongs to @Blue rose
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it

"I want to make a deal"

Nightmare smiles like a snake, turning to face Dream's mask

"What would it be?" his voice is as soft as velvet, it's sweetly sickening

"I want to trade my life for yours" he says, his voice doesn’t tremble, indifferent and monotonous, like the blood god

This makes the demon freeze and watch Dream from head to toe, if there is any sign of hesitation or nervousness, it doesn’t show.

Sometimes, Nightmare wondered if Dream had emotions...

"I will die, and in return, you will die"

"Heh... and why would I accept that? Are you so desperate to get out of here?" he asks, opening his arms to the cell they are.

"I'm offering the deal, you choose to accept it" he says, shrugging

"What is your motivation here?"

He is silent and Nightmare laughs, shaking his head

"You can't be serious" he laughs, leaning over in his stomach"You can't be serious!"

But in the end, he always knew that Dream was too human for his own good.

"Night--"

"No! No, no. I can't believe you're that stupid at that point. They abandoned you, Dream!" he screams, fists clenched and teeth grinding

“They abandoned you” he says, deadpan “You possessed me”

“They couldn’t recognize you, for fuck’s sake!”

"Are you going to accept it or not?" he asks coldly, not caring about Dreamon's opinions

Nightmare regains his composure and the two listen to the mechanisms move outside the cell, the lava curtain begins to descend.

"I accept, but it's more because I like to see you suffer" he smiles bitterly and with malice

Dream ignores the comment and offers his hand.

"Who the fuck is this guy!?"

"Get away from the prisoner!"

They hear a crossbow carrying and Nightmare grabs his hand.

_ "Memento Mori" _ the two say in unison

And they disappear into the air.

The communicator of all the SMP members beeped and two messages appeared.

_ [Dream was killed by Ņ̷̪̯̮̰̤̿i̴̤͖͇͒̚ͅg̸̠̓̈͒̌̅̀̕̕h̴̨̛͕̹͙̜̩̱͓̮͈̟͎͙͗t̴̖͌̋̀̈́̍̽͋͆̉̃m̶̨̡̛̯̠̆̐̇̿͊̽͝ȧ̶̧̛̗̮̦̟̪̙̆̑̉͆̿́̀̓̂͠͝r̶̨̧̛̘̺̙͙̪̕ę̶̡̺͕̬̗̬̆̌̿̀̀̒̋͘] _

_ [N̶̤͇̤̯̞̤͔̦̍̽̋̑͂͆ì̷̻͕̙͕̯͇̯̤̮̿͌̒͜g̷̦̘̗͓̏͜h̶̛͉̗͓̑̆̓̀̽̍̂ț̸̡̯̞̺͍̣̠̀̂̊̿͛̊͒m̷̨̛͙̎̍̕a̴̢̢̮̘̼͔̞͋͊̀͑̐r̸̗̳͈͙̎̑͑͑̋̓̕͘͝͠ͅě̶̜̥̂͆̌̋͝ was killed by Dream] _

* * *

They wake up leaning against nothing.

"What have you done now?" Nightmare asks, grunting before standing up

"I... I don't know, we were supposed to become ghosts" Dream says, looking at his hands, nervously

"What the fuck is that?" the devil picks up a book that was on the grass

The leather glows with enchantments and the pages are yellowed, the book opens itself in Nightmare's hands and automatically flips to the first page.

_ Rules: _

_ You are stuck in the box _

_ You died _

_ You are ghosts _

_ You can leave, but conditions will happen outside: _

_ If the demon leaves, nothing will happen drastically. Creeper holes will be smaller, crops will grow faster and spells will be stronger _

_ If the human leaves, the server will start to go into error until it is consumed by the void _

_ You can't push each other out _

_ Good eternity, _

_ XD _

"Could be less specific" Nightmare commented, ironic

"This isn’t right, we were meant to be in the void, the other side" Dream says, moving the mask slightly to the side

"This is stupid!" he groans, throwing the book hard against the floor and lying on the grass "This is your fault"

"How is this my fault? That was completely off the curve!"

"It's your fault for not planning this!"

"How am I going to plan what happens after death ?!"

"You planned this deal, you son of a bitch! The minimum was to know what the hell was going to happen to us!"

After these bursts, they were silent, now checking the environment around them.

It was a high place, a mountain surrounded by forests, no view from the server, just silence, apart from the occasional bird sounds.

Dream ran his hands lightly through the box, he could feel an invisible wall, but if he pressed hard enough, he could feel the wind outside slightly, but he drew back his hand.

The words of the book echoing in the mind.

"We will stay here forever..." Nightmare scowls and turned on his back, as if going to sleep

Dream felt like he was in prison and deep down, in a more selfish part of him, he asked if protecting his friends was so worth it

* * *

"I thought you wanted to leave" he says after some days

According to the amount of sunsets and sunrises, five days have passed in silence

"I don't want to be making your server more prosperous" Nightmare says, still with his back to him

"Why do you hate my server?"

"It was a matter of chaos. Dreamon, chaos, destruction, demons. Does that remind you of anything?" he makes horns out of his fingers and puts his hands on his temples, really like a demon "Now it's more because I hate you and your friends"

"In addition to the failed exorcism, what did they do to you?"

"They were stupid, in general"

"This isn't a good reason"

"Do you really think I would tell you my reasons?" he snorts "You are more stupid than you look"

"Technically we are stuck for eternity, you should try to be a little nice"

"And you should try to shut up"

And after that they are silent for a while longer

"No, but seriously, what was your reason for manipulating Tommy?"

Nightmare groans, putting his hands over his ears

  
  


"I see with my eyes... a stupid ass"

Dream rolls his eyes, staring hard at Nightmare, who's narrowing his eyes at him

"I won’t answer that"

"Now you're being the bore"

There were more than fifteen sunrises and sunrises.

Or maybe more than that, they weren't necessarily counting anyway

"You could try to leave, you know?" Nightmare says, mockingly "See how things are going"

"You are annoying"

"So I think you're looking at a mirror"

"I thought you wanted to be silent" is Dream's turn to narrow his eyes

"I'm bored and you're still my favorite toy"

"You are weird" he says

Nightmare shrugs and they talk about anything else

Two more days pass before they are silent again

* * *

It is when winter comes that they really are suddenly sure they are dead.

If the months without eating and drinking hadn't proven it.

It isn’t a day of celebration, Nightmare is in his corner, with plants and vines growing over him, as if he were a strange stone.

He's hibernating, that's what he said to Dream when winter started

So it's just Dream enjoying the cruel loneliness that he put himself in an attempt to protect his family  ~~_ that forgot him _ ~~ from a demon with his face

And that in the end he became a kind of strange ghost fellow

They don't try to leave, Nightmare for their secret reasons and Dream, for their very obvious reasons.

He watches the snow falling outside and the moon shines silver, and sees smoke approaching.

"We finally found you, Green Boy"

Dream doesn't know how long he's been without hearing that voice.

Time has become meaningless

"Hi," he says, simplistically. That's all he can say

"Hi? Is that all you say?" Sapnap asks, a crossbow pointed at his head

He looks at the arrow without feeling anything.

It's so weird, he was supposed to be feeling hurt, right?

"There's not much to do..." he says and takes off his mask, showing green eyes "A lot has happened, but I think it's better that way. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Sam steps forward

"Dream, you're still Pandora's property, so it's our duty to take you back"

It makes you feel a slight despair

"I don't think you can do that, Sam" he says, and curses himself when his voice shakes "I died, and I'm months away from doing anything, I'm technically already in jail"

"Yes, you left in the middle of nowhere says a lot" he hears Tommy sarcastically, but Dream doesn't mind

"There's a book here, if you want to read" he replies and takes it out of his pocket, throwing it a little further on the grass, right at their feet

When Tubbo picks up the book, he just reads strange words.

They are letters like those of the enchantment table

"Enough of these stupid games!" Tommy screams and Dream frowns

"I’m not--"

"Dream, it doesn't matter what games you're going to play, we're taking you"

And Punz, Ant and Sam approach him, even with Dream trying to get away.

He crawls away until he feels the invisible wall hitting his back.

He can’t leave.

Nightmare isn’t going to help him, he is sleeping and he always wanted to see the server die

He feels the three of them trying to pull him by the wrists as he pleads to be left alone.

He tries to steady his feet on the grass, but receives a blow to the head in return and it is easier to pull him out of the box.

He grunts as he tries to pull on his wrists, but he has never tested his transparency before, so he is unable to get past them or fly back to his invisible prison.

They all try to pull him through the snow back to the server, his skin beginning to have fingerprints.

"Holy shit! Sam, can't you just teleport him to prison or something?"

He stops fighting when he sees trees a few feet from him staining with random codes and glitches.

If Dream had been alive, he would have lost the full color of his own face

He goes back to fighting, trying to run in the opposite direction

"Stop trying to resist, Dream. Do you want us to take your life now?!"

"I'm already fucking dead!" he screams with despair

He feels a hand on his shoulder and automatically, his wrists pass through the hands of Punz and Ant.

All members turn around and face something behind Dream

"I think... Dream said he wouldn't go with you" Nightmare says, his coat dirty with dirt and leaves

All weapons are aimed at them

"Do you think you can run?" Dreamon asks

He nods.

"Who are you?!"

Dream is already running when Nightmare pushes him towards the mountain.

"An old friend. Don't you recognize me, Sappy Nappy?" Nightmare smiles with all his fangs

When his slender fingers turn into claws, Tubbo screams

"It's a Dreamon!"

* * *

Nothing happens while Nightmare levitates a few inches from the floor to the box.

There are no glitches, no falling chunks, let alone emptiness.

There is only him, the box and Dream.

When he enters, Dream wants to ask whose blood is in his hands belongs too, but is silent.

"I didn’t touch the children, if you want to ask" he says, hoarse voice and sits in the same place as before

They are silent as Nightmare lies on his back to Dream.

"Thank you" he says softly

"Don't mention it" he mumbles

And they spend eternity like that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to Dream's song  
> It's nice :)


	28. When I don't remember you part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They realize Dream isn't Dream too late.  
> And when they find him... well, it's really too late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Oragongirl
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!

The environment is more suffocating than they thought.

A dark obsidian box, surrounded by lava and barely fit for more than fifteen people, all equipped with netherite armor, shields, crossbows and swords, all weapons aimed at the only unprotected person in the room.

Pandora Vault's only prisoner

Expressions revealed to the world, without a mask and black eyes watching them with malice, a mocking smile and wrists bound by handcuffs.

The veins of his exposed arms and hands dyed black, his fingertips dark as if dipped in paint.

"Who are you?!" Sapnap asks almost screaming, breath shaking and verging on panic

There's something very wrong that nobody knows, besides the arsonist

"Sapnap, what happened?" Bad question, his red coloring faded to gray

"It's not Dream. This...'' he points to the man leaning against the wall, who is still smiling and is looking at Sapnap with pity "This is not Dream"

"How come? Sapnap I know you're friends with Dream, but--" Tommy says, but Sapnap shakes his head

"No, no. I'm not a friend of this thing. This isn't Dream"

"I know you don't want to believe it, but he did it all--" Quackity starts, but Sapnap interrupts him by shouting

"Dream has no fucking purple eyes!" the supposed Dream's smile widens "Dream has no black veins and black hands! That's not Dream!"

"Sapnap, what are you trying to say?" George asks quietly, his voice starting to shake 

"I believe Sappy Nappy made it very clear what he is trying to say" the imposter says, smiling

"Who are you?" he asks, gritting his teeth.

"I don't have a name, but you call me Dream" he shrugs "So I think that's my name from now on"

"You aren't Dream"

"Well, of course I am not him. I am not weak" he scoffs and some of them growls "You decided to call me that, so it was not me who was wrong, but you"

"Where's Dream?" George asks, his tone cold. No one has ever heard him speak like that, but the imposter doesn't seem to care

"And what do I know? He went looking for his 'home', looking like an idiot"

"If you are not Dream, what are you?" Tubbo asks, raising his gun

"A question I can answer" he smiles "But I think you already know that answer, don't you, Mr. Hunter?"

Three people realize 

"You are a Dreamon..." Fundy whispers

"Ding-ding! Finally someone who's not that stupid"

"You son of a bitch" Tommy and Quackity yell

“You monster! What did you do to my duckling?!” Puffy screams with hate

"But... but we... exorcise him..." Tubbo whispers

"As I said, Mr. President, you are an idiot, a complete fool" he smiles as he sees Tubbo step back and Tommy points an arrow at his head

"You didn't expel me, you expelled him from his own body. And I admit that it helped a lot with my plans, so thank you very much"

Techno calmly approaches forward, Tommy even thinks about complaining but he bends down in front of Dreamon.

"What happened to our Dream?" he asks, his eyes starting to glow dangerous

"I took control of this body, blood god, and it became a ghost, similar to Ghostbur, stupid and very easy to use" he smiles

He contracted his hand, ready to break the bastard's neck

"And you have no idea where he is?"

"Nope" he clicked his tongue

"You are lying" he says impassively and the demon laughs

"Why do you think that? Don't you trust me?"

"Not at all. Besides, it wouldn't make sense for you not to know where Dream was, after all, if he showed up in the middle of a conflict, that would attract questions, right?"

Dreamon's smile trembled

"Are you going to tell us where he is, or I swear--" Sapnap started but Dreamon grunted

"I hadn't lied about it, I really don't know where he is, but I made sure he was hell away from here"

"Then you will help us for better or for worse" Techno declares and pulls the Dreamon up, making him stand

"Uh... blades?" Tommy calls him, a little scared

They realized too late when almost the demon's entire arm was black, as were his feet, his face was with black lines and black veins too, and his eyes glowed purple as if he was the Ender dragon.

"Oh, what a shame... it looks like you're going to have to look for him alone" he says, smiling

And in the next second, Dream's body is falling into obsidian

Techno almost can't grab it

"What the fuck?!" he hears some of them say

The marks are still there, but instead of the demon's purple eyes, or Dream's green eyes, they find only the sclera.

"What... what-- Why is he like this?!" Sapnap stutters, the sword trembles in his hands and Quackity and George try to calm him down, but he looks like he's going to collapse in despair "Why-- What...? What did that bastard do to Dream?!"

Puffy slowly approaches the two and Techno arranges Dream in his arms. When she gets close enough, he can see tears in her eyes and feel her short breath, she goes straight to grab his wrist and lays her head on his chest.

Everyone holds their breath

She starts to sob and stagger away, in a way that Eret needs to hold on to keep from falling.

"I-- I can't... _Ican'thearhim_ " she says very fast and her breath hysterics as she cries in her friend's arms

That's enough for Sapnap to scream and George starts to cry, Bad seems to come out of his apathetic state and starts to choke on his own sobs.

It's a broken scene

"This... this is all my fault..." Tubbo whispers, silent tears running down his face "I... the exorcism... I should have checked right..."

"No, Tubs, it wasn't your fault" Tommy hugs his friend tightly, but they can still hear Tubbo

"I... we would have avoided so much... if we had checked... if we had been there... if we had seen..." he sobs "I couldn't see my own brother... "

They are silent, hearing only the sobs and sniffles from the cries of some of them, the ones closest to Dream, they hear the hot lava bubbles and the uneven breath of some.

"We should get out of here, and plan to look for it" Phil says

And they do

Techno avoids looking at the corpse in his arms.

* * *

The next few months are cruel

They seek and seek

They turned the entire server upside down, but there is nothing

There is no Dream or Dreamon

There is no trace of their friend

There is no trace of what was once a warm man in a lime green sweatshirt and mask

In the first few weeks, hardly anyone slept, digging through the forests and looking for blond hair and green eyes.

They had to hold Sapnap from burning a forest. He was going maniac.

He just wanted his friend back.

Tubbo and Fundy are trapped in the library every day and only Fundy leaves.

They study body spells, they study soul and body separation spells, they study everything.

Tubbo can't stop. He just wants his brother back.

George runs between the trees, demarcates territories already searched and searches them again, and again, and again.

Callanhan needs to knock him out so they can bring him home.

Sam languishes every day, guilt consuming him entirely. He was with Dream every day, he should have noticed, he should have seen that Dream was not a Dream.

With his own hands and tools, he destroys his own creation, commissioned by the being that took the form of his friend. He doesn't give up, even when Punz needs to drag him through the water and get him to eat something.

The egg is forgotten and little by little Bad, Ant and Punz are back to normal, focused on bringing their friend back. The vines turned to red ashes, and all forget that they ever existed.

Gradually Niki gives up on her plan to kill Tommy, Jack tries to keep her going but she says she prefers to take care of Puffy.

Puffy can't stop thinking about the duckling she lost and she is one of the only ones who can make Sapnap stop and put out his torch, get George to sleep without knocking him out, get Sam to drop the pickaxe and accept some support and get Tubbo out of the library and breathe fresh air. She lost him too, so she knows the pain and they know it too.

The other person who succeeds, with a little more effort, is Techno.

Quackity asked Tommy this during the searches that went wrong again, they watched Techno and Phil once again bringing in a collapsed Sapnap with ashes on his face.

"I think they were friends" Tommy replies "Like, George and Sapnap have always been Dream's best friends, but ... I think Techno and Dream got along better, because they know how to read each other or something. So Techno knows what it's like to lose the same friend "

Even Tommy has a moment to think.

Tommy had a lot of nightmares about Dream, they were back on the island and he made Tommy throw his stuff in the hole, or they were in the Nether and the masked man was pushing him into the lava. After the final confrontation, he started dreaming of Dream killing Tubbo in that bunker, but now, when Tommy has nightmares, they end up with something else.

They end with Dream taking off the mask and purple eyes shine in the void, as if there were no face, just demonic eyes, other times, he sees other people in his dreams, but the purple eyes are the same.

The nightmares subsided, but at the same time, they became worse.

In the middle of the night, he goes to the library knowing that Tubbo will be there alone, drinking coffee while leafing through pages and pages with runes that Tommy can't read and they enjoy each other's company.

He thinks about the consequences of Dream being possessed. The exorcism took Dream out of his own body, so what are the chances of Dream having been possessed during the entire L'manburg war? Did he make Eret betray them all, or was it the demon? Did he shoot Tommy and accept the discs from him in exchange for independence or was it the Dreamon?

Did he cause the war or was it someone else who used his body?

Once, he asks too loudly if the Dream they met was Dream or if it wasn't just the Dreamon all the time.

You can tell by the scratch on his cheek that George didn't like the accusation

"They know it was Dream" Phil tells him as he takes care of the scratch, they are sitting by the window and it is the first time that they talk since Doomsday.

Tommy knows the scratch is small, but maybe Phil just wants an excuse to talk.

"Techno told me, before SMP started, Dream was always a relentless hunter, a tense and confident man on the verge of arrogance. And he got to know him like that, but Dream started visiting him and he got to know his cheerful and gentle nature, like a different person. "

"Dream was always there and Puffy, Sam, Tubbo, Sapnap, George and Techno were friends with this boy, but they were never friends with a manipulator and war criminal"

"You suffered trauma at the hand of a demon, Tommy, and nobody judges you for that, you all did. But if we find Dream, have a more open mind to the fact that it wasn't the same person. It will take time, I know, but remember that maybe you’re going to meet a different person and remember that we’re here if things get tough "

Tommy nods and thanks the offer of comfort with a strange hug.

He says nothing about how Phil said 'if' instead of 'when'.

* * *

It is in winter that they have a glimmer of hope.

Well at Christmas, who knew

They were at the secret friend, sitting by the fireplace and Tubbo was about to open his gift when the door was opened wide by Ranboo, Glatt and Ghostbur.

"We found him!"

No explanation needed to know who is the 'he' in the story

They all get up and follow the three who ride the main path. Tommy appears with a horse and Tubbo enjoys the ride.

They run through the forest, guided by ghosts and the half-enderman, Sapnap's torch is the only thing that lights the way. Hearts beat fast with anticipation and anxiety.

Gradually, they can all see the edge of the cliff and Ranboo gets off his horse, pointing down there.

The sun is rising when that happens.

"We saw him there, but we didn't find anything to go down," Ghostbur says, but they can only focus on the small wooden hut in the trees.

"We did it..." Puffy whispers, hands against his mouth and tears in his eyes "We found him..."

"We will find a way" Sapnap declares "It doesn't matter that we have to go around the entire forest, we will find a way"

Nobody is opposed and everyone gets on the horses again and they go down the mountain, watching the sun rise in the sky.

It is a winding descent and almost halfway, Tubbo gives up and tries to walk on the rocks and Tommy goes with him, together with George, Sapnap and Puffy.

When they finally arrive, tired but filled with adrenaline, they can finally observe the cabin.

It is a cozy little house, made of wood and surrounded by flowers that live even in the snow, the chimney with smoke denounces that someone is inside the house and they are sure they found it when they see a scarecrow with the smiling mask.

They say nothing, are silent and just hear their own heartbeat as Bad approaches the door and knocks.

When the door opens, they can't help but gasp in surprise.

Because it's Dream over there, in front of them.

With colorless skin, blond hair and green eyes that they so wanted back, floating a few inches off the floor, wearing a green scarf.

"Dream..." Sapnap whispers, eyes flooded with tears

"Sorry..." he starts and they all realize that they almost forgot their friend's voice after so long

"But do I know you?"


	29. Ranboo's memory book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo can't find his memory book and he panics  
> The good thing is his family is there to help him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @KoalaGirl1872
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it
> 
> (I know you asked about Ranboo having trauma because of another family, but I took another route... I'm sorry. Tell me if you want to rewrite it)

Ranboo is not well

He's definitely not doing well.

His school supplies are lying on the floor and his backpack is empty, he is kneeling on the floor and his shoulders are shaking.

His memory book disappeared.

A notebook full of stickers that his friends pasted, a notebook that Tubbo had given him when he arrived at the new house to live with the Watson’s.

The notebook with all his life written, it just wasn't there

He throws things up, messes up his brothers' bed and his own bed, gropes under the furniture, runs through the rooms and corridors, looking for his precious notebook.

It is in his notebook that it is noted where he kept it, without his notebook, he doesn’t know where the notebook is and if he doesn’t know where it is, he won’t find the notebook because that is where it is noted that he...

He can't breathe

_Try to remember_

_Try to remember_

_Insist_

_Where did you last see him?_

_I don’t know_

_I don’t know_

_I don’t know_

_I DON’T KNOW_

Ranboo tries to take a deep breath but this creates a coughing fit and he needs to hold his own throat to try to calm down.

 _I'm fine_ , he thinks

_I'm fine_

_I'm fine..._

_It's OK_

But he can't help but think about his notebook.

Tommy wouldn't take it, he might like to make pranks, but he knows the notebook is important

Tubbo wouldn't take it, it just didn't make sense, Tubbo knew Ranboo needed the notebook, he even helped write down additional things for him to remember

Wilbur wouldn't take it, he never touched his stuff and he helped choose new stickers

Techno wouldn't take it, he doesn't like to read things that aren't his and besides, there's no way he could have picked up the notebook because he's not at home

Phil wouldn't take it, he... he's his father, he wouldn't take it, he has known about the memory problem since he adopted him

Nobody would take it, but then who took it?

Did someone steal from him?

He threw the notebook in the trash and doesn't remember?

No, he didn't... did he?

Would he do it?

Would he destroy all his memories like that?

No, he wouldn't

They are very important

"--anboo... Ranboo!"

He blinks five times before lifting his head and looking at the two pairs of blue eyes staring at him.

"Boo? Are you okay?" Tubbo asks softly

"Yeah, we're worried! Why the hell are you huddled on the floor?" Tommy says, much louder

When his senses come back into focus, he can see that he is in Wilbur and Techno's room, he is too far from the door and everything is messy.

What happened?

He doesn't remember...

His hands go to his pants pocket, but it's empty.

In a bewildering thud, he remembers that he is without his notebook.

His eyes fill with tears and his heart beats in panic

He sobs and Tubbo and Tommy try to help him up and hug him.

"What happened? Did someone attack the house?" Tubbo asks as he circles his back and he grips his green coat tightly.

"There's no way, we were at home, Big T" Tommy frowns and turns to the door, shouting "Dad!"

Ranboo shudders and Tubbo shoots Tommy with a disappointed look

"Shit, sorry"

"Ranboo, what happened?" Tubbo asks and walks away slightly, being able to face Ranboo's tearful face

"I... I..." he sobs "I lost... I lost my notebook... I can't remember..."

They both open their eyes wide and Tommy runs out the door, his screams for his father going deaf as he walks down the hall. Tubbo holds him in his arms and smiles gently.

"We will find him and you will remember" Ranboo nods "Do you want me to remind you of things?"

He nods again and Tubbo starts walking with him to the door.

"I think you remember the basics, but I'll talk anyway" Tubbo's soothing voice begins "Your name is Ranboo, you are 6 years old, and you like stickers and cats, you don't like the rain or dark and tight spaces. I'm your brother, Tubbo, I'm 14 and I like bees and I gave you your notebook. Tommy is my age and he's also your brother, you guys like music discs and he likes to curse people, like minecraft and streaming"

Ranboo listens calmly, but his eyes are red and he is still sniffling.

"You have two older brothers, Wilbur and Techno. They are twins, Wilbur writes and sings and he likes light colored sweaters. Techno has pink hair, he likes to read mythological things, he is one of the first in the class and kind of antisocial , he seems to be a bit serious but he loves us. Dad is Phil, he adopted you a year and a half ago, he is just like Tommy, he wears green like me, he is funny, he wears an old bucket hat"

He doesn't even realize that the two of them reached the bottom of the stairs when Phil comes running and takes Ranboo out of Tubbo's arms.

"Hey... Tubbo helped to calm you down" he says and Ranboo looks into the old blue eyes "Are you okay now?"

He nods and takes a deep breath

"You better watch your hair, Boo" Tubbo says "You were pulling it"

"I’m sorry..."

"No need to apologize, just try not to do it anymore" Phil kisses him on the forehead "It hurts"

So this is why he has a headache?

"What places did you look in?" Tubbo asks gently as Ranboo looks at Wilbur and Tommy rolling the cushions in the room

"I... I don't remember... but I didn't find him..."

"We will find it, Boo, don't worry" Tubbo smiles and Tommy calls him up the stairs

Phil realizes that Ranboo is frowning and looking at nothing.

"Ranboo" the boy looks at him "Don't force your memory too much, it will hurt you. Wait for the memories to come naturally, ok? We'll find your notebook"

Unfortunately, the notebook wasn't at home.

Ranboo almost had another panic attack, but Phil started to rock him in his arms and Wilbur sang calm songs.

At the end of the search, Tommy called Techno to look for Ranboo's notebook, since the pink boy would be out of the house by night.

And Tubbo continued to tell Ranboo things to remember, things that were written in the notebook.

Nobody knows how he decorated some sections, but it helped a lot.

It rained during the afternoon and the house was a mess, but none of them left the room, trying to give the youngest any kind of comfort.

It was about half past six in the afternoon when a drenched Techno entered the house.

"I went to school and some teachers were there" he says, a monotonous voice, but a slightly worried gleam in his eyes, as he looks for something in his backpack "The notebook was on your desk"

And when he extends it, Ranboo starts to cry again.

Techno looks scared when he cries and everyone else comes to comfort.

Ranboo hugs the notebook as if it were his life, which in this case is and he manages to babble a few words to his older brother.

"Th-- thank you very much... thank you..."

He smiles almost imperceptibly and ruffles his hair

"Just don't lose sight of it"

At bedtime, the house was completely tidy after the mess they had to make to search, Ranboo was sitting at his desk in the room and swinging his legs, while listening to Tubbo and Tommy's pillow fight.

"Boys, bedtime" Phil says appearing at the door, already in pajamas

"What?! Why can Techno and Wilbur stay up late?!" Tommy screams

"Because we are more responsible than you are to wake up early" Wilbur says, as he walks down the hall

"You look like a fucked up mummy when you come down for breakfast!"

"Fuck you!"

"Boys!"

Tubbo and Ranboo exchange looks and laugh softly. Tommy makes an offended huff and Phil sighs.

"Please don't make me put the three of you to bed by force"

"You don't even have the strength to do this, because you're old" Tommy replies

The blond is silent, staring at his son

"I'm going to get the belt"

"I was kidding!" he screams in despair and Tubbo loses his air from laughing

The three put themselves under the covers and Phil looks at Ranboo.

"Did you manage to write everything down?"

"I did it! Tubbo checked, nothing is missing"

"Good" he smiles and turns off the light "Good night"

"Good night" the three say in chorus and the father closes the door.


	30. I'll be your knight and you'll be my king

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is missing, so George and Sapnap try to find him  
> But maybe what they find is really hurtful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @xbluerose
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> :)

He runs and runs as his lungs burn, begging for air and his legs sink into the snow.

The hood comes out of his head in the wind, but he doesn't care, still running and tears streaming down his cold face, he lets out the smoke every time he opens his mouth, trying to catch his breath. His pants were already damp, but he could only feel the adrenaline warming him inside.

In a moment, he was running, not even realizing that he was gradually moving away from the server's main land.

On the other, he was rolling through the snow, a sharp ringing in his ears and unbearable pain burning his head and making him bleed. He cried out in pain, but he couldn't hear anything, he was still crying and his vision was blurred, as was his mind.

He closed his eyes and didn't wake up anymore.

* * *

Sapnap rubbed his hands again, watching the starry sky. His feet swayed slightly on the edge as his mind raced through a whirlpool of thoughts and probabilities.

After all, it had been almost six months since Dream disappeared.

Disappearing from the server, as if it never existed

In the first month, he was not worried, he was still angry and hurt, and Dream almost always disappeared for long periods

In the third month, he was quiet about the feeling of loss that started to appear, George was not worried, so there was no reason to be worried

L'manburg brought Tommy back, still tense thinking that Dream could appear at any moment. After the first week, they didn't even care anymore

In the fourth and fifth months, Sapnap left the house in the middle of the night and looked for the forest that surrounded the server, but without going too far.

He didn't find anything about Dream

He felt strange. Sapnap was still mad that Dream would lie to them and just throw their friendship in the trash, but on the other hand, they were practically childhood friends, it was obvious that he would be worried about that gaudy green sweatshirt idiot.

"Sap?" he turned towards George, who was standing on the strange El Rapids staircase

"Hi" he replies and watches the brownish friend approach, sitting next to him

"What are you doing here? Quackity and Karl have been looking for you for almost an hour"

"Uh... I was just... thinking" he says, slightly nervous

"About what, huh?" George smirks and pushes him slightly "Sappy Nappy, what were you thinking?"

Sapnap and George laugh, but the ravenette can't stop trying to decide whether he should tell or not.

George was dethroned by his best friend shortly after Sapnap told him about Dream's speech on the wall, it is obvious that he would be furious with the hunter.

But was he worried like him?

"I... I was thinking about Dream"

George stopped and was silent. This made Sapnap more nervous and tense.

"George...?"

"You noticed it too, right?"

The headband arsonist and the bluish sighs.

"He always stays out and I was hoping for that after... yeah, but... he never stays out for more than a month and a half or two. I'm worried but I don't know if..."

"If it's worth it"

"I thought I was being stingy, but I'm glad you think the same thing" George smiles

And they are silent, enjoying the night wind and the stars

"What do we do now?" the ex-king asks "Are we going to look for him?"

"I don't know" Sapnap shrugs "We could try"

"A trip like the old times?"

"Yeah... like old times" The two smile

* * *

The next day, George and Sapnap prepared their supplies in backpacks and equipped their armor. They only told Bad and Punz that they were going to travel and left with the horse through the forest.

The trip took three days, with them stopping to camp and look for information in the villages, asking if they saw a man in a green sweatshirt.

Neither of the people saw anything, and that only diminished their hopes and created a little panic in them.

If Dream was nowhere to be seen, then where did he go?

He wouldn't leave the server for anything, right?

They kept looking, even when they felt like giving up. They slept once again in an improvised camp and went on their way.

Right in the middle of the tundra, George stopped the horse.

"What's it?" Sapnap asks, taking his eyes off the map

"...we've been looking for a week. Don't you think we'd better go back?"

"But what about him?" he started to get slightly irritated

"I don't... I'm not giving up... we're looking and we can't find anything. If we go back, we can rest well and go back to that same point, without pauses, then we can continue to search at the same pace as before"

Sapnap's mouth closes in an audible click, hesitantly, he ponders the situation.

They were in the middle of the ice, in the middle of nowhere, with no directions beyond a map that was lost after the forest, the coats were not enough to withstand the cold and they would run out of supplies.

"Could we... could we just look at one last village?" he asks, pointing to a small tall structure that looked like a church

"I think so, we can refuel and if we find nothing... we go back and try another day" George says and guides the horse towards the small town.

The small snowy village seemed to be very cozy, with houses made of wood and stone, small tents with merchants and people walking around calmly, living their lives and oblivious to the two strangers.

The two wandered through the tents and while George bought food and asked about the hunter's whereabouts, Sapnap held the horse's reins and watched the shiny fabrics displayed in one of the tents.

"I think blue looks good on you"

Sapnap's eyes widen and his gaze automatically goes to the owner of the voice.

Dream was in the tent, but he wasn't looking at him but at a young lady, wearing a dark cold coat instead of a sweatshirt, the mask resting on his head and his dark blond hair was longer, tied in a ponytail.

It was Dream, but at the same time... it wasn't

"Ah, I don't think... the blue is very flashy" the lady says

"I can see with Helga if she can get a darker fabric, but the blue suits you, Carina" Dream says while Sapnap's jaw dropping

"Sap, what happened?" George asks, approaching

"It's him" is all he can say

"He who?" when Sapnap doesn't respond, George is concerned "Sapnap, who is he?!"

"Dream! It's the Dream," the bandanna replies, whispering-screaming, as he forces George's head at his side until they both have the same line of sight

"Are you sure?" George asks "Like, nobody saw his face..."

"I saw it! I saw it, George and I tell you it's him! And the mask is on him!"

Before George can even answer or Sapnap can call Dream, he and the lady look away and Dream is running out of the tent, towards the central courtyard.

Some children were screaming and two of them were pushing each other, clearly fighting and wooden swords lying on the floor, Dream ran to them and held the one with a cardboard shield in his arms while the other children held the boy in a cloak.

"Why did you do that?!" the cloaked child asked, almost foaming at the mouth

"Because I needed to!" the child with the shield says, trying to free himself from Dream's arms

"Liar!" the child screams and the others try to grab him

"Ah... god" the lady, Carina, approaches George and Sapnap, still watching the confusion "Sorry if this fight is disturbing your stay, but Dream will solve this soon"

"No... don't worry" George forces himself to answer, the words dying on the tongue

"Uh... lady" Sapnap turns to the woman "Do you... do you know Dream?"

"If we know him?" she laughs softly "Of course we know him, we welcomed him here"

"Welcomed him?"

"We found him lying in a ravine, the poor guy hit his head, and was unconscious for three days. When he woke up he only remembered his name, then we let him stay with us. He is a very skilled weaver" she says with a smile while George and Sapnap get tense

"Does he... does he have amnesia?" George asks, cautious

"It is most likely, and the doctor said there are chances he will never remember. It is a small village, but Victor is a professional, you know?"

They swallow the bile that rises in the throat

"Do you know him?" she asks and Sapnap nods "Oh, this is very good, as soon as these children calm down, you can talk to him"

"What are the kids playing?" George tries to change the subject, putting a crooked smile on his face, but the lady doesn't seem to notice

"I don't even know anymore, the story has changed so much" she laughs fondly "But as far as I know, Will is the king, who is being held and Timothy, the boy Dream is holding, is the knight. I think Will has just been dethroned "

It made George shake his head to ward off intrusive thoughts.

"Why did you do that?!" Will, the king asks almost spitting in the knight's face

"I needed it, everyone hates you!" Timothy says and the kids scowl at him, one of them even screams 'Traitor'

"It's a lie, you did it because you want to be king!" Will says

"Very well, very well, calm down" Dream says and kneels until it is up to the children "Can someone explain the situation to me?"

"I killed Will and Timothy dethroned him, but Will is being an idiot about it" a child with a handmade bow says

"Shut up, Edd!" Will says

The situation is painfully familiar

"Timothy, what is your reason about this?"

"I already told you, everyone hates you as a king and after Edd killed you I had to do something"

"You didn't have to dethrone me!"

"Dream! Please make these two shut up, they've been discussing this for almost twenty minutes!" a girl says, grunting and everyone nods, making Dream laugh

"Ok ... look, I'm not an expert on this, but try to think about it from the knight's perspective. Will and Timothy are friends, right? Timothy is in charge of protecting the king, who is hated by some people and he is killed by a murderer, that is, he is in danger. What is the duty of a knight? "

"Protect the king" the children say in unison

"Exactly, the king is the knight's best friend, who doesn't want him to get hurt, so the answer is simple, take the king out of the spotlight, so he can't get hurt" Dream says

"But... but I like being king..." Will mumbles

"Do you prefer to be king and have your life on the line and make your friend sad or safe by being a normal character?" Dream arch an eyebrow

The child's silence is enough

"Since everything is settled, hug and please, don't try to punch each other" the older blond says laughing and the two boys hug

"How do you know about these things?" a boy asks Dream

"These what?"

"These things about kings and knights"

"Oh..." he grimaced and frowned "I think... I think I've worked with this before... I don't know"

"What would you do if the king were your friend and an assassin would try to kill him?" the girl from before asks

"I think I would have the same line of thought as Timothy, I mean, why would I take off a king's crown when I put it on him in the first place?"

This looks as if George and Sapnap were immersed in cold water.

Was this a product of his memories in the subconscious, or is it just logical reasoning?

_ "Just say that you hate me" _

_ "You don't care about us, Dream, so we don't care about you anymore" _

Guilt swallowed them like a shadow swallows the light.

Their friend lost his memory and would probably never remember, maybe his last memory was a fight that happened over a status of power.

"What do we do now?" George whispered

Sapnap failed to respond

The bell echoed through the village and soon all the children ran out, saying goodbye to Dream, who waved smiling, he got up from the floor and dusted his coat, returning to his tent.

"Ah Dream! I was waiting for you to finish" Corina said when he approached "There are two people I want you to meet"

"Really?" Dream smiled and the lady guided him to the front of the tent

There was nobody

"Now... where are they?" Corina huffed, frowning "Oh, screw them... you're better here"

"Who are you talking about?"

"Two people came here and I was going to introduce them to you"

"And who were they?" he asked, smirking as she grunted

"I don't know, I wasn't told the names. But one had dark hair and wore a white bandana, the other wore blue clothes and glasses"

"Well, I think they went on, right?"

"Maybe... but it doesn't matter" she smiled "Can we go back to the fabrics?"

"Sure" he smiled and ignored the feeling that the descriptions were strangely familiar


	31. Trapped in a box like a fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is in a box   
> What will he do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @QueenOfDeadMemes
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it
> 
> :)

Once again, Sam guided Tommy through Pandora's corridors.

It had been two months or even longer than that since Tommy first visited and promised to come back a few days later to get Dream's homework, but he was busy with the hotel, which was a very good thing for the server, and with the strange attempts that Niki and Jack had to approach him, but it’s not like he cares to visit. He didn't really care if he could visit or not, but he admitted that he really wanted to irritate his archenemy.

He went through all the boring sweeping procedures and tried to raise the subject with Sam, which worked slightly, since the two had become friends, but since Sam was the prison director, he insisted on being serious and barely answering anything.

They arrived at the lava gate and Tommy stood on the gray platform.

This was going to be a painfully long process, which made Tommy snort

"Hey, Sam?" the greenish hummed in response "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing that couldn't be controlled, just a quarantine and Dream throwing his watches and himself in the lava, but I took care of that"

"Why did he keep playing in the lava?" he snorted, but frowned anyway "Any new games?"

"I don't know, maybe he wants to have some kind of attention or something, but like I said, I took care of it, so there are no further complications"

The boy nodded and faced the lava wall again.

When the cataract descended, Tommy followed the end to the cell and landed safely in obsidian, watching the lava curtain rise again and leave the two alone.

He finally looked at Dream, but... it seemed very wrong.

Dream had a box on his head

It was a metal box that looked heavy because there was a leash around its neck attached to the wall, which allowed Dream to support his head, his wrists were handcuffed and his ankles were chained to the floor.

Was this all a security measure?

"Who's there?" Dream asked, his voice, now hoarse, muffled by the box

"It's me, green bitch" Tommy replies, with a mocking tone, even though he had his hands in his pockets and was frowning

"Oh Tommy, I think you were late... or not, I can't see my watch. What time is it?"

"Uh..." his eyes roam the cell until he finds the golden clock on the wall "Late afternoon"

"Oh... what day is it today?"

"You've been under arrest for a good few months, if that's what you're trying to ask me"

"I hear... well, anyway, why did you come to visit me" Dream asked, more cheerfully "Not that I'm complaining, but I think you would have a reason to see me"

"I was bored and wanted to come and piss you off" the boy walks over to the trunk and opens it, finding some books there, all empty "Did you do your homework?"

"Uh... I threw them away, they burned after you didn't come back, so ... no, I didn't do my homework" he says and changes the subject "What's going on outside?"

"No big deal, everyone is fine without you and I built a hotel," he lets out, expecting a reaction different from that annoying innocent joy

"This is cool, but why a hotel?"

"Because hotels are cool, like me" Tommy says

Dream is silent

"You're making fun of me in that box, aren't you?"

"Uh... no, I'm trying to imagine how you're going to run a hotel on your own"

"It's none of your business, but I'm being generous, Sam and I partnered and the housewarming party was incredible, as I planned"

Dream hummed in response

"How is the hotel?"

"What?"

"Like... how's the view? I think he's red, because you know ... you wear red"

"What? It's red, but--"

"Tommy!" Sam's voice echoes from the outside "You need to go, I'm going to close the prison and feed the prisoner"

"It will be potatoes again..." Dream mumbles

"I'm going!" he shouts in response and turns to Dream "Bye Big D"

"Goodbye"

* * *

The second time Tommy comes back, the box is still in Dream's head, it's still weird to see him like that, but Tommy doesn't really care.

"Hey Tommy, you didn't describe your hotel to me"

"Why do you want to know?" he asks, narrowing his eyes

"I can't see anything, being able to imagine things is the only thing I can do" Dream shrugs slightly

"Okay, but I already notice that I am terrible with these things" he warned "Uh ... it's pretty, since Sam did it, it's red since red is superior to all colors, it has very high glass panes and it's big, like, everyone on the server could fit in there "

He hums in response

"It looks really cool, what else?"

"There is an aquarium, Sapnap helped me with this, Tubbo helped me with the rooms and for some reason, Niki helped me with the main hall"

"That looks good, at least from what you described" Tommy can't see, but Dream smiled "Thanks"

Sam shouted again, warning that visiting hours are over.

* * *

After that, Tommy's visits became somewhat frequent.

Dream kindly asked Tommy to describe places on the server and Dream imagined them in his mind, trapped in the dark of the box.

Dream asked him to describe his cell and sometimes, Tommy would bring some pots and describe the plants, describe the weather and some other things, the boy found it boring at first, but started to do it with more emotion.

"Hey Big D" Tommy says, making his steps audible

"Hi Tommy" he says, his hands were free, but he was still chained to the floor and his head was still stuck in the box "How were things today?"

It almost became a ritual, every two or three days, Tommy returned to prison and he described the things he did and Dream tried to imagine what was going on outside.

"Oh nothing different, each one solving their own things, Bad and the others are strange, but Sam and Puffy are taking care of them"

"That's good" Dream started humming a song Tommy didn't know before he clicked his tongue "Hey Tommy?"

"Hm?"

"Can you describe someone's face?"

That made the boy stop

"What?"

"Like... it might look like an exaggerator but... I don't know if I remember other people's faces right" he shrugs "You don't have to do this, it's more to make sure I remember things"

Tommy was silent before clearing his throat

"Sure... who do you want me to describe the face to?"

"Could it be... Bad? It's been a while since he visited"

And Tommy described it, trying to be as accurate as possible, since he hadn't seen Bad at all, just getting Sam's updates. At the end of the visit, he described the faces of Ranboo, Quackity, Fundy, Phil, Foolish and Skeppy.

The lava curtain went up again and Sam guided Tommy to the prison reception.

"Hey Sam?" the other hummed in response "Can I ask you a favor?"

* * *

"Just try not to throw things in the lava one more time, or I won't replace the watch," Sam says, while Dream hears the sound of tools beside him

He nods even though he knows Sam won't see.

When the box was opened, all Dream saw was white for good seconds, so much so that he had to narrow his eyes until he got used to the glow.

"Are you okay there, green boy?" Tommy asks and Dream can see clearly from his face

"Thank you" he says sincerely

He didn't like the dark much


	32. When I don't remember you part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream doesn't remember  
> Fluffy and Angst  
> Phil has an idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Oragongirl
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> :)

"Sorry, but do I know you?"

Thunder boomed in the air

"Ah, shoot..." he said, oblivious to the expressions of pain in the people in front of him

"Dream... don't you remember us...?" Puffy asks, his voice broken

"Uh... I... I never saw you before and I'm not Dream"

"Dream... Dream, please... it's us!" George says, taking off his glasses and showing his heterochromatic eyes awash in tears "Don't you remember? It's me, Gogy and this is Sappy Nappy, you have to remember"

Dream frowned and that made Sapnap choke on a scream in his throat.

He really wasn't remembering

"I don't... sorry, I really don't know who you are" he clicks his tongue "But I know who Dream is"

"He brought me to this hut, it's his home, but he let me take shelter here"

"That shitty demon" Tommy, Quackity and Techno grumble

Sapnap had his fists clenched and George had sat on the floor, hiding his face with his hands, Bad was looking up, Punz had an empty look but there were some tears in his eyes, Sam took off his toxic mask and bit his own hand, in frustration, Ant knelt on the floor trying to comfort Puffy along with Niki, Fundy took off his hat and stood beside Ranboo, Ghostbur whispered things to Ghlatt, who shook his head. Quackity went to comfort his two friends and Phil hugged Techno by the shoulder, who did not step back or accept the touch, staying in place.

Tommy's eyes went to Tubbo, who was completely still, with his head down.

In the few seconds they were silent, everyone heard Tubbo's low sob and the earth at his feet getting damp as the tears fell.

Tommy started to move to comfort his friend, but Dream was faster and floated gently up to the boy, wrapping his arms around him, Tubbo looked into the spirit's opaque green eyes and for a moment, he thought Dream had remembered .

Just for a moment, he let hope grow

"Don't worry, guys! I'm sure the Dream would come back to you!" and he smiled

And it broke like glass

Tubbo cried out in anguish and buried his face in his brother's almost transparent body, grabbing his green coat and repeating a mantra to bring his brother back.

Bad, Sapnap, Punz, Sam, Ant, Puffy and George started to sob and more tears came down

It was too late.

Guilt destroyed them inside

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Dream was startled by the sudden outbreak and started rubbing the boy's back

Another thunder sounded in the sky and it started to rain lightly.

"Ah shoot, well you know how they say, ghosts can't stay in the rain" he laughs softly and tries to smile at his guests "Why don't you come in?"

Did they want to enter?

Would it be more painful?

"Holy shit!"

"Thank you very much friend!" Ghostburk screaming as he was pulled by Ghlatt who was almost melted

Well... now they had no choice

All the living hesitantly entered the hut while Dream guided Tubbo lightly and closed the door.

The cabin only seemed to be small on the outside, but inside it was much bigger, the rooms were on the ground level, so they had to go down some steps before going to the living room. Dream had shelves, booths with armor and weapons, chests with supplies, but there was also a lit fireplace, potted plants and many portraits.

Bad went over to one of the pictures that caught his eye and he gasped in surprise.

It was a very old photo, Dream did not wear his mask, but his clothes were still green themed and next to him was Sapnap, the two looked like many young people.

"Aw your muffin, you were adorable" Bad said, with a tearful laugh, still feeling an effect of sadness, but he felt lighter seeing the photo

"What?" Sapnap staggered over and laughed too "Ah... I remember that"

Tommy looked at the photos and saw that Dream had a photo of them in L'manburg, all in uniforms but running around L'mantree, but there was another photo that made Tommy smile. Tubbo was a baby, hugging a stuffed bee and smiling with a pacifier in his mouth.

"This is cute" Phil comments beside him

"Hey Phil! This is Alivebur" Ghostbur commented, pointing to a photo of Wilbur and Dream, it seemed to be well before L'manburg, they were both smiling

"The portraits are here before I even arrived, it seemed important so I cleaned them up and kept them" Dream says, still hugging Tubbo "It looks like he has a fondness for you"

Everyone smiled bitterly

There was also a photo that attracted Sam and Punz, it was a photo at the beginning of the SMP, they were in the middle of a lake and there was a lot of construction materials, for sure it was the home of the community that would rise there.

Fundy called Quackity to come over and showed him a photo, Dream had a mask full of duct tapes, he looked patched up and was without his green sweatshirt, next to him was a person making a face of disgust, also bandaged and polishing the sword.

"Did you fight Dream?!" Quackity almost shouted at Technoblade who was seeing other photos

"It was a tournament, no big deal" was what he replied

"Who won?"

"Me. 6-4" he takes one of the pictures and he turns to approach the couch

Dream had probably gone to the kitchen, so Puffy and Niki were trying to comfort the boy, but Puffy really didn't seem in a position to do so and Tubbo looked numb.

The blood god approaches silently and extends the portrait in his hands to Niki, turning around and going to do something else.

When Niki takes the portrait, she sees that there are two different photos, one of which is Tubbo, looking very young and without the scars, dressed in a yellow raincoat and looking at a field of flowers. The other picture was of Puffy looking like he had just explored a ravine and was smiling.

Tubbo started to cry again and Puffy did his best to help him, letting out some tears as well.

Inside the kitchen, Dream was humming and making more tea for visitors when a rustle made him look away from the kettle.

"Oh, hello! I forgot your name, sorry" he smiles and the man smiles too

"Don't worry, I'm Phil" he extends his hand and Dream returns the greeting "I came to see how you were"

"I'm fine, I'm just not sure about them" he gestures to the door "I never saw Dream again after he brought me here, but he told me he was going back to the main land. Are you sure you didn't see him?" "

"It's complicated" the older blond sighs "Our Dream was possessed and when they tried to do an exorcism ritual, they took the Dream spirit out of him and only the demon was using the body. We never realized and when it happened, it was too late "

"How horrible... but like I said, he'll come back to you, maybe he's just lost"

_How ironic is that?_ Phil thinks

"What's your name?"

"Oh I don't have one, I never needed it" he smiles

"I see..." The two are silent as Phil tries to remember whether Fundy or Tubbo had studied memory spells or spells for the spirit to return to the body.

It doesn't hurt to try, does it?

"What do you think about coming back with us?"

"Hm?" Dream turns to face the winged being

"We could show you the server, just so you don't be alone"

"Oh! It looks like a lot of fun" his smile widens "We can leave after the rain"

"Sure, no problem"

They will bring Dream back

They've already failed him enough


	33. Occult Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo needs a teacher   
> Maybe a masked hunter in the forest can help him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Bee
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (I really liked writing about this, I even drew their tunics)
> 
> :)

The blade touches his neck and his whole body paralyzes with fear. His frightened blue eyes find the cracked porcelain mask with a strange smile.

Tubbo swears that person was unarmed. How come, out of nowhere, an axe appears in their hands?

He raises his hands in peace and swallows.

"Who are you?" the stranger asks, the grip never coming off the weapon

"My name is Tubbo" Tubbo replies "I... I didn't come to hurt you, I was exploring the forest"

"Where are you from?"

"Manberg..." he says and almost regrets when the blade seems to be pressing herder on his neck

The person slowly moves the axe, consequently moving his head sideways and Tubbo closes his eyes when his head falls to the right. Seconds later, he feels the blade slowly moving away and the boy feels he can breathe.

"You are too far away. I don’t believe you, but I will give you a chance to return home" the stranger steps back and moves the axe away completely, in a half moon beside the body

The axe disappears in light, as if it never existed and their hand rests beside their body

It's pure magic

Tubbo's eyes shine and the stranger changes the weight of their legs.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I saw that!" he jumps up and the stranger's hand goes up to draw a weapon "You are a summoner! You know magic!"

The smile on the boy's face scares him

"How did you--"

"Can you teach me?!" Tubbo asks, interrupting him "I've been looking for a teacher for almost months. It's important!"

The masked doesn’t respond, but only snorts in mockery

"No way am I teaching this. If you're from Manberg, you know the rules"

"Yeah... but like you said, we are away from Manberg, meaning... you can teach me"

"It is a universal law" they deadpan

Tubbo huffs, dusting the dirt off his clothes and watching the stranger in front of him. In addition to the cracked and scary mask, they wore green tunics, with a white fabric tied around their waist. Their hands were covered with bandages and their posture was rigid and tense, like a soldier, but their aura gave him away as a hunter.

"I need someone to teach me!" Tubbo pleads "Please!"

"No" he replies and Tubbo groans

"Please!"

"I won’t do that" the hunter says resolutely and Tubbo kneels

"Please! It is very important!"

"How is breaking a law important?"

"I can't tell you. It's a secret thing, but please! You need to help me!"

The stranger snorted and turned, without saying a word, but Tubbo stood up and continued to follow, still asking to be trained and taught, but the masked man didn’t answer.

Tubbo followed him, even when he was silent, until the two arrived in a hut and he felt a smile forming on his face.

The stranger opened the cabin door and when Tubbo went in, he knocked on the door.

"Hey!"

"Come back tomorrow" a muffled voice came from within

"So are you going to teach me?!"

"Come back tomorrow and we'll see"

The boy's smile widened and he screamed, running back through the forest

"You won’t regret it!"

* * *

_ "I want to learn magic" a black-haired boy says, stiffly _

_ The green-haired man arches his eyebrow and looks at him from head to toe, while two boys behind the man smile. _

_ "Are you familiar with the basics?" he asks _

_ "Yes sir" _

_ "I don't see this as a problem" the oldest in the room sighs and extends his hand "My name is Sam, boy" _

_ "Those two over there are Dream and ~~George~~ " he points to the two children, one of them is blond and with freckles and green eyes, and the other with brown hair, using wearing metal welding goggles "Same team" _

_ "Hi!" _

_ "What's your name?" the blond one, Dream, asks _

~~_ "Sapnap" _ ~~

  
  


"You came back" he declares, impassive and leaning against the door of the house, watching the boy in front of him

"I did it! I'm not throwing away my shot" Tubbo smiles

"What do you know? Are you at least familiar with the basics?" he asks, moving away from the door and approaching the brunette

"Yes, I am, but my shields are not exactly fortified"

"I see... show me"

"Now?"

"What do you think?"

They are silent as Tubbo frowns.

"Yes, show me now" he says, sulky

Tubbo seems to grumble before placing both elbows at his sides, clenching his fists and taking a deep breath, when he gets enough breath, he takes one arm out of his position and stretches it forward. A small flawed disk made of sparks spins before disappearing completely, and Tubbo tries again when it is interrupted.

"Stop"

"What?" Tubbo's frown gets bigger

"You're doing it wrong"

"What? Why?"

The hunter once again invokes his ax in his hands and circles around the youngest.

"Spread your legs" he says as he pushes one of Tubbo's feet to the side with the help of the weapon

"Fix the posture" he puts a hand on the boy's chest to force him into place while pushing his spine "Fix your head"

Tubbo slightly raises his chin

"Try again" he moves away "Now with the right position"

Tubbo once again puts his elbows at his sides, clenched fists and stretches his arm forward, concentrating on his body's energy. The shield formed was not failing, but its duration was still very short and after it disappeared, Tubbo sat on the floor, feeling weak.

The hunter hums

"We will have to work with this" he turns and walks away towards the forest "We will build your resistance. Come back tomorrow"

Tubbo is too tired to complain, so he just stands up soft and disappears into the trees.

* * *

"I thought you were going to give up" The hunter says, peeling an apple

"Never" Tubbo responds

"This is good, since we are going to test your resistance, you need to build it by attacks" he says and hands the boy the apple

Tubbo stares at the mask with confusion

"You will need energy" he shrugs

"What attacks has to do with magic?"

"The more resistance, the more strength, the more strength and your body starts producing energy to match its strength, the more energy means more magic"

"Where did you learn this?" he asks, impressed

"It doesn't matter, now eat the apple and we'll start later" he says abruptly and walks away, entering the hut, leaving Tubbo alone

_ "You're getting weak, Gogy!" _

_ "Shut up!" he screams, a circle forming at his feet and his shoes shine as he runs towards the opponent _

_ The one with the light hair clenches his fists and stands in a defensive position, waiting for his friend's offensive, when they are very close, he shakes his hand and blows an axe, cutting off the other's blue tunic, making the one with the glasses retreat in a second . _

_ "This is my secret weapon" he smiles convinced _

_ "Oh you--" _

_ "Time's up!" the green-haired man says " ~~George~~ , redo the summoning spell and Dream, redo the speed spell. ~~Sapnap~~ , redo the shield spell" _

_ The dark-haired boy, who was panting farther away, smiles and puts himself in position. _

_ "Why do we need to keep remaking these spells?" he asks _

_ "Building resistance is the basis for obtaining energy and performing spells. Begin" _

Tubbo gasps, looking for breath as he tries to stand up and still, the axe blade once more on his neck.

"Did you count the seconds that each shield lasts?"

"No, I didn’t..."

"It's okay. They last from three to four seconds, you try too hard to create them and spend magic for nothing, try not to depend entirely on shields until you create a decent one, learn not to depend only on magic effort, but yes, also of physical effort "

"I don't know how to fight" Tubbo replies, sincere, he only knew how to throw punches that almost broke his fingers and that didn't give many casualties

"I'm not asking you to counterattack, you're unarmed, I'm telling you to learn to dodge and attack without actually attacking, such as creeps, somersaults, etc." he takes the ax off the boy's neck "Try to make a shield calmly now"

"But you said not to spend magic for nothing"

"This in battle, where your effort can be channeled to nothing if you leave your starting position, unless you are skilled at summoning shields without needing the position, or someone can attack you in your vulnerable moment and you are not quick enough. There is also the fact that you will be agitated, the energy will go out of control and your shield will be unstable "he pulls Tubbo's hand and takes a roll of tape from his pocket, starting to bandage his hand and wrist

"When you are in a peaceful environment, your energy goes into the spell calmly, you will not be at risk of being attacked and your energy will flow calmly, the spell is more likely to work out like this"

"Ok... ok, I can do it"

Tubbo pulled his feet apart, even though he was in pain, adjusted his posture, put his elbows against the sides of his body, raised his head and took a deep breath.

He stretched his fist and focused the energy on the silence.

Gradually the sparks took shape and stayed for five seconds before disappearing.

"Ah..." he laughed halfheartedly "I'm disappointed"

"Don't worry, you'll make it" the hunter messes up his brown hair "Now go home, we'll meet tomorrow"

* * *

_ "This is being very complicated" the dark-haired one groans, throwing himself back _

_ "You'll get the hang of it, ~~Sapnap~~. Don't worry" the brownish man says _

_ "Yeah, shield spells are complicated to do, even if they are considered basic" _

_ "But Sam is getting too hard on me, I just wanted to know how to do it right" _

_ "Hey Muffins!" _

_ The three look away from the door, seeing another student in gray and red robes _

_ "Sam is calling everyone, it's something important" _

_ They look at each other before following the eldest. _

"Hey Dream?"

"Hm?" he opens one eye and observes, behind the mask, Tubbo

"When am I going to move on to another magic?" he asks, the spark shield bigger than his fist and much more stable than the first attempts "I've been doing this for almost a month"

"When you master the spell"

"And how do I do it?"

"When you learn to invoke it as second nature" Dream replies, approaching "Without having to be in position"

"Do you know how to do this?" he asks, undoing the shield and turning to face his teacher

He extends his palm and a spark appears, starting to spin in the air and the green disc is soon formed, the size of his hand, Tubbo's eyes shone

"It is not a very difficult thing after you gain ease in creating a shield, try to do that"

Tubbo also extended his palm and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Nothing happened and he sighed

"Go back to making shields, Tubbo" Dream says, Tubbo can't see, but knows he has a smile on his face

"You bore" he mumbles amused and returns in the same position

* * *

The blade found his chest and he snorted.

"You do it on purpose" Tubbo laughs

"I thought you already knew that" Dream replies, reaching out to help the boy to get up

"Your dodges are getting faster, that's good" he says, the axe disappearing in his hands "Try to summon it one more time"

As the training became more constant, Tubbo improved his magic, being able to perform shield spells without needing the position and being able to perform speed spells, rope spells and many others.

As the training became constant, Dream let Tubbo stay a little longer instead of dismissing him soon after the training ended, he also shared his name and some stories and, in return, Tubbo commented on his family and friends.

The spell that Tubbo wanted to perform was summoning weapons

This spell is more common for users of natural magic, that is, people who were born with magic without having to study it by books. Dream knew how to summon his main weapon, the Nightmare ax, and Tubbo was trying to summon his own weapon.

He reached out and closed his eyes, looking for the first weapon that would come to his mind.

Nothing came

"This spell is complicated, I confess" Dream replies, ruffling Tubbo's hair, who pouted "I only learned it early because I made my teacher teach me by annoyance"

"Who was your teacher?"

Dream is silent for a few minutes and Tubbo is afraid he asked the wrong question

"Dream...?"

"His name was Sam" he says abruptly "He was a professor of magic before the prohibition law"

"I see... he must be fine, probably without using magic, but I think he is fine"

Dream swallows dry and suppresses emotions

"Yes, he must be fine" he gets up "Let's go back to training"

_ "Why is everyone here?" _

_ "I don't know, but it's all students" _

_ "Hey Bad, what happened?" the blonde asks the dark-haired one, who looks nervous _

_ "The government is here" _

_ "What?!" all their eyes go to the stage, where they meet a man with dark hair, dressed in a suit and red tie _

_ "That fucking tyrant..." _

_ " ~~Sapnap,~~ tongue! And speak softly, security will hear you!" the older one says, slapping the boy on the back of the head _

_ On the stage, next to the man in the suit, there was the council, a man with black hair and a blue tie suit, and all the teachers and the director of the academy _

_ "Please, everyone, keep silent", the director says "President Schlatt has a pronouncement _

"Tubbo. Why do you want to learn magic?" Dream asks, the axe disappearing from his hands as Tubbo catches his breath

"It is not self-knowledge. You know the law" he says, approaching the youngest "What do you get by learning magic?"

"Uh..." he looks embarrassed and looks at the sky, seeing the pink and orange coloring "I need to go..."

"What?"

"Oh god! I need to go home!" Tubbo jumped up, startling Dream, who tried to get closer "I won't come to train tomorrow, I'll be busy, but I'll be back another day"

"Wait. Tub--" Before the eldest could stop, Tubbo ran waving, the trail of the speed spell staying on the floor of the hunter's yard

He frowned

He had a bad feeling about this

* * *

_ "They can't do that!" ~~George~~ screams, frustrated as they are all grouped in front of the building _

_ "What do we do now?" Dream asked, frowning at his teacher _

_ "We follow this law" he replies, simplistic and all eyes are on him _

_ "You can't be serious" a blond boy says, wearing a gold chain _

_ "They are taking everything we work for! They are taking the nature of many from here!" Sapnap says _

_ "There's nothing else to do, ~~Sapnap~~ " Puffy says, his white and brown tunics "The council has already decided" _

_ "I hate that guy" says Ant, a boy with blue eyes and brown hair _

_ "Speak low, you muffins!" Bad says, looking out from the crowd "Security guards are going to do something if they hear us say something about Schlatt" _

_ "Fuck them, Bad" ~~Sapnap~~ says "We need to do something!" _

_ "A school is planning to hold a protest in Manberg Square" says Skeppy, a boy in a bright blue robe _

_ "So let's do this" says ~~George~~ "They can't take this away from us" _

The crack of lightning and thunder in the sky made Dream wake up from his memories and snort, rubbing his bare face

He could feel the scars on his fingertips and sighed, getting up and picking up the empty mug next to him to go to the kitchen and get ready for bed.

A knock on the door made his posture erect and the ax appeared in his hands before he even processed his own steps towards the door. He opened it, making a squeaky squeak that was drowned out by the rain and he found the vision he never wanted to have in his life.

That he never wanted to have again.

There, standing in the rain was a person wearing a raincoat that covered his face, but left his wine-red tunics bare and his sword at his waist, with enchantments engraved on the blade, in his arms was a child in green tunics stained with crimson and brown hair.

Tubbo

Dream ran to the two of them, the ax disappearing and the strange stranger handed Tubbo into his arms.

"Thank you, blades" he whispers and the other nods, still with his face covered. He disappears into the dark as Dream runs with the child in his arms towards the light, his hands shaking.

When he lays Tubbo's body on the bed, he looks for all the energy he can within himself, even with his heart pounding and his hands shaking in panic. He will save this boy no matter what.

His fingertips glow in forest green and he removes the torn parts of the boy's tunic, leaving his torso exposed and showing the wounds.

It was a blast

The flesh is alive and still bleeding, axing the wooden floor, his tunics and sheets, Tubbo is breathing weakly and he can smell the burning, his hands go directly to the burns and his fingers press on the wounds, starting to heal almost instantly, the sound seems as if ice water meets a hot plate.

The other sound he hears is the cry of an unconscious Tubbo, crying in pain while still trapped in a fainting state, he holds his wrists, but Dream doesn't stop, pressing the flesh further and running his fingers over other wounds.

Tears flow down the cheeks of the youngest and the hunter does everything to hold his own.

It is so painfully familiar the blood on his clothes

He pulls the gaze that they keep in his pocket and runs to get the medical kit, packing the brunette in white tapes and ointment, even though he has accelerated the healing process, the wounds may open or the area may become infected as the region is fragile. He rips the rest of the burnt fabric from Tubbo's tunics and dresses him in an old sweater, he changes the sheets on the bed and cleans the floor.

When the process is over, Tubbo is panting but still passed out from the pain, the rain still hits his window hard making him shudder. Dream throws himself on the chair next to the bed, his hands already with the lost green glow and still shaking. He takes a deep breath and puts it over his eyes.

He is afraid to face what Tubbo will say when he wakes up.

* * *

_ "Let me go, fuck!" he screams until his throat hurts, but the tightness in his wrists gets stronger _

_ His face throbs in pain and he can only see things in half, the rest is dark _

_ "George! Sapnap!" _

_ His screams aren’t heard _

It takes a few seconds for Tubbo's vision to adjust and he is able to stare at the wooden ceiling. His right side is completely immobile and sore, his face is wet and the memories take a while to return.

He doesn't know where he is

He grunts as he tries to get up, but a hand gently pushes him back into the comfort of the pillow.

"Don't even try, Tubbo, you won't get out of there" Dream says, in a serious voice but overflowing with concern

"H... hi--" he coughs

Dream doesn't respond, but he hears a chair being dragged and the older man's voice sounds much closer.

"What happened to you" he asks, his voice stern "And no excuses"

Tubbo was silent, biting his lip while having a mental argument with himself in his mind.

"Tubbo"

"I... I'm in the revolution" he says and the silence vibrates in tension, but he continues

"Wilbur is the leader of the revolution, he calls it Pogtopia, Tommy and I are in the revolution too, Quackity, Ranboo, Niki, Eret, Fundy, Karl, Techno I think, Ranboo and many other people. We want the law to end and all users of magic be freed from Schlatt"

"We held a riot yesterday, and it was planned long before... it was on the day we planned that I decided to look for a way to learn magic, but... I got caught in the crossfire"

All Tubbo could hear was Dream's unsteady breathing

"Dream?"

"You won't fight this anymore"

"What?!" he sits on the bed quickly, cursing mentally, but his eyes focus on the man in front of him

Dream was without the mask so Tubbo could see his entire face. He had dark circles and one of his eyes was bright green while the other was milky and white, with a scar running vertically, he was infested with freckles and scars, especially one that ran across his forehead, crossed his nose bone and ended in right cheek.

"You won't fight this anymore"

"What? Why?!"

"Tubbo, this is a fucking revolution. You are not going to fight it" Dream says, resolute

"That's not fair!" the boy screams

"Oh, believe me, I have seen many unfair things and this is not one of them. This is about your safety"

"I need to fight this, Dream!"

"You don't have to. Be quiet where you are and stop fighting"

"I can't stand still! The government has taken away people's freedom to use magic and this is unfair to them! Everyone is afraid to fight, except us and I am one of those people!"

"Stop fighting fights that are bigger than you!" Dream screams back

"I don't know why you care about me fighting this. You just need to teach me!"

"I will be helping you to fight in this pointless fight"

"It's not a pointless fight! You are a user of magic, you should know that people should be free to perform spells"

"And lose your life?! Your flesh is destroyed!"

"I can't stop fighting for a right that I have and that was taken from me, Dream!"

"You are going to die, Sapnap!" he screams and Tubbo steps back in silence

The silence gets heavier on Dream's shoulders and he gets up, facing Tubbo.

"If you choose to fight, I will stop teaching you, Tubbo"

"I..." he suppresses the voice that asks to ask who Sapnap is "I can't, Dream..."

The elder sighs, fitting the mask over his face

"Stay here as long as you need to recover, but don't use magic, I revoke your magic"

And he leaves the room, leaving Tubbo alone

* * *

Tubbo stays with Dream for three days.

They don't talk, but Tubbo always finds a plate of food spread out, either on the kitchen table or on the dresser beside the bed, but Dream was almost never at home, in the forest or in the backyard, on a silence strike that made Tubbo frown.

Her tunic was sewn and he put it on and looked in the mirror, seeing the scar on the side of his face and feeling it spread over his shoulder and chest.

He goes through the back doors, where he found Dream sitting on a log and resting his chin and hands on the axe handle, looking at a wooden altar with welding goggles on top and a white bandana tied to a pole beside it, swaying in the wind. The sky was darkening earlier, clouds covering the entire sky in gray and blue.

"I'm going" he says calmly

Dream humming

"I won't be able to convince you" he declares and sighs "Well... good trip and... I don't know, good revolution I guess"

None of them move and they are silent, listening to crickets in the vegetation.

"Dream... you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but who is Sapnap?"

The smiling mask looks at him

"You called me that while we were arguing"

He sighs again and the mask faces the forest again.

Tubbo doesn't think he'll get any answers, but Dream surprises him, starting with a shaky breath

"Tubbo, when are you old?"

"Oh... uh, I'm 16"

He laughs bitterly and looks painful

"Sapnap was your age" Dream says "He was one of my best friends. George, he and I, we were best friends and students at a spell school, our teacher was Sam"

_ "This is dangerous!" Sam screams _

_ "We need to fight!" Sapnap screams back _

_ "Sapnap, I forbid you to use magic! You will not fight this" _

_ "You are not my father, Sam!" _

_ "Maybe I am not, but as your teacher, I still give orders!" _

_ "Sam, we need to do something!" Dream screams _

_ "No! That's it, I revoke the magic of everyone who tries to participate in this riot!" _

"Sapnap was 16 and George and I were 18 when Schlatt and the council declared the law, we were pissed and started participating in protests with other schools. It turned out that many died in the crossfire"

Tubbo swallowed dry

"And what happened to your friends?"

"Most were arrested and some were exiled, like me. Many others, including George and Sapnap were... executed"

_ "The council has decided its sentence, Dream Taken" the man's voice was hoarse _

_ "Fuck the council!" he screams, tears still falling on his face _

_ The man opened a devilish smile _

_ "Actually... changes in plan" _

_ "You are going far away from here, boy" _

"I don't know if the others are alive, but I've been here for three years and alone, until you find me"

He takes the mask off his face and stares at Tubbo with his good eye

"Just promise me that you will get out of this alive"

The boy nods with determination and enters the house, leaving through the front door towards the forest.

* * *

It's almost a month that Dream is on the verge of despair

Not that the problem is loneliness, he is more than used to it.

The problem is the lack of news from Tubbo

Dream pretends everything is fine, even when it's not.

He wipes George's glasses when he hears the trees in front of the house.

His hand summons the axe and he goes to the front yard, cautious and ready to attack.

He defends the sword stroke that comes towards him and pushes the weapon away, causing his attacker to retreat.

"How you do it?!" Tubbo asks, excited

"I heard you from the forest" he smiles and the axe disappears, as does Tubbo's sword

He arches an eyebrow

"I managed to summon a sword during the revolution," she says, still smiling. "Your lessons saved my life and Tommy's, so he owes a thanks."

Tubbo is almost thrown to the ground when he feels his arms around him and Dream's weight in the embrace.

"A month, Tubbo, a damn month..."

"I've been busy..." he says smiling and patting the other on the back "Wilbur has installed himself in the presidency and I'm in the office, the law has been repealed and I haven't even told the best part"

"What's the best part?" he asks amused as Tubbo takes a paper from his tunic and hands it to the hunter

"What do you think about coming back?"

It makes Dream freeze and stare at the boy's vibrant blue eyes

"We got everyone out of prison and exile. Unfortunately we can't bring the dead back to life, but ... I met your friends and I thought it was fair for you to meet mine"

Tubbo had to calm Dream down after he started crying.

A bright future was before them.

Tubbo was excited for everyone to meet his teacher.


	34. The Last Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is not like he had a choice anyway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Um
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> :)

He's been there for a long time

Or he thinks he does. Time is meaningless

He doesn't move, lying like a starfish and staring at the ceiling. He doesn't even notice the redstones crumbling through the walls and the lava curtain coming down.

He doesn't realize that there are other people there until he has a netherite blade aimed at his neck.

"Get up" Tommy says "Get your ass up"

"what...?"

"Get up" he repeats and someone else puts him up against his will, supporting him before he falls because his legs are weak "Listen here, green bitch, you will help us break that damn egg"

"Why would I do that?" he asks, still bewildered

"Because I'm telling you or I'm going to kill you"

"I think it's a good thing if you give a better reason, Tommy" Sam says

"Right... because you admin and blah-blah-blah and the egg is destroying the entire server"

Dream was silent, watching the frown that grew on Tommy's face

"So--"

"Who's infected?" he asks

"Everyone but me and Tommy" Sam says

"Are you sure?" he asks

There's no way everyone got infected

There is not...

"Yes, duh, we had to cross them to get here" Tommy complains, rolling his eyes "Will it help or not?"

Dream was silent again. Was it worth it?

If he didn't help he would die, which is not such a bad idea. But if he helped, everyone would be back to normal and he would be thrown out again, like a tool, or they would kill him, again not a bad idea.

They were all infected and Dream had long since given up creating attachment.

Was it worth it?

Maybe... maybe he can have a period of altruistic madness, besides he'll see the sun after a while

He sighs

Is not like he has a choice anyway

"What do I need to do?"

He feels Sam lock his wrists with a handcuff behind his back and he pushes him towards the lava curtain.

"You need to destroy the egg" Tommy says as the lava slowly descends, Sam had a control in his hand

"Didn't you guys try to do that? It's just... beat him with a pick" he asks and Tommy snorts

"If this had worked, we wouldn't be using you"

A complete stone bridge stretches out before them and Tommy starts to lead the way, with Sam guiding Dream behind. The stone is warm under your bare feet and the feeling of suffocation is replaced by a sigh of relief. Dream was forced through the corridors until they arrived at the reception.

"Tommy, do you think you can handle it?" Sam asks "I need to get at least one helmet for him"

"What? But Sam--" Tommy started, frowning

"It's just a way of tracking him if he tries anything, it has the curse of binding" Sam replies "I won't be long and Dream..."

The prisoner turns to meet Sam's menacing eyes

"Try anything and you die"

He shrugs and remains still, he hears the older man's footsteps moving away until it's just Tommy and him in the room.

Dream feels a perverse feeling starting to go up the skin, just to scare the boy, but he closes his mouth in an audible click and closes his eyes.

Tiredness hit him like a wave and he just wants to lie on the floor and sleep.

Probably because of the insomnia he was in during his incarceration.

He doesn't even realize that Sam has returned when he feels something heavy being put on his head and he opens his eyes, groggy and yawning.

"Come on, green bitch" Tommy says,

"Wait"

"Sam, we need to go!" he complains and Sam takes a bottle out of the pocket, holding Dream by the shoulder, he throws the glass on the floor and the smell of ozone infests the air

He can't see anyone, but he knows that Sam knows where he is.

Tommy grumbles, stiff and follows through the purple portal

Sam pushes him in the same direction and it takes a while for him to regain consciousness, feeling his stomach turn and he stagger forward, being held tightly by Tommy before falling.

"Ah... shit" Tommy murmurs and the three face the view of the entrance

There is Sapnap, Punz and Tubbo, red eyes and dark clothes, highlighting the murderous glow, pointed netherite swords and ready shields, but their eyes are confused.

"You said they were here" Tubbo says, his voice completely distorted

"But I saw them cross the prison," Sapnap replies in frustration, his voice equally distorted

"It doesn't matter, if they got in, eventually they'll need to get out" Punz says "It only takes Tommy and Sam to get the egg to infest the server"

Once again, he is pulled and nausea rises up his throat when he falls on the stone floor, inside the prison, Dream coughs, trying to focus his eyes on something, but he can only see the crimson in the eyes of his ex friends.

"Shit, how are we going to get past them?!" Tommy screams

"There is a route, but I don’t fully trust guiding you two on it, only I can know"

"Sam, this is an emergency!"

Sam is silent for a few minutes.

Dream knows that Sam almost never breaks his own rules

"OK let's go"

He is once again lifted off the floor and his eyes are covered by the green scarf that Tommy wears around his neck.

Dream wants to snort with it, it's not like he's going to use that route anyway.

He is dragged along a different path, listening to the redstone mechanisms moving and some levers, before his eyes are released and he faces the blue sky mixed with orange, it was late afternoon and there was no noise by the server, the reason was more than clear.

"Let's go before they find us" Sam says and Dream is pulled behind the Badlands mansion and the three of them continue down the main path, still drenched in an invisibility potion

"Does the potion have time to get to the egg?" He finally asks

"If we accelerate, yes" Tommy replies, annoyed

"We're almost there, don't worry" Sam says and they need to make several detours when they meet other members manipulated by the egg

They manage to reach the red cocoon just as the potion loses effect. Sam opens the trapdoor and holds Dream.

"You can go first, Tommy"

The boy sits on the obsidian and shoves his legs into the hole, pushing and falling through the dark tunnel.

"Your turn, Dream, and no fun"

He nods, sighing, the tiredness still present in the bones as he bends down and down the same hole, the wind of the fall messing up his hair even more and making his heart beat faster with adrenaline.

His bones crack when he hits the stone and he chokes out a cry of pain, he doesn't think he broke anything, but it's hard to focus on something with the nauseating pain. Tommy pulls him by the front of his shirt and Sam falls soon after, the three of them inside the egg lair.

"Okay, we have a little time before they show up, the egg warns when there are instructors" Sam explains, taking the pick from his belt

"Well... green boy, it's your turn to keep the deal" Tommy says "What do we do?"

His eyes drift to the egg and whispers fill his worn out mind

"It's a Dreamon"

"What?"

"It's a Dreamon" Dream repeats "It's not exactly an egg, it's a sentient being"

"We already knew that" Tommy snorts "Does that mean that the only ones who can help us are Tubbo and Fundy?"

"I didn't say that" he replies, still staring at the red mass "I learned some things after my exorcism, I just need to complete the ritual"

A thump causes the three to look at the ceiling, small cracks start to form, the glow of the netherite seeping out of them.

"Then go fast!" Sam says, pushing Dream and Tommy behind him

A part of the ceiling breaks and Bad falls first, his gray and black robes, along with him, Ant also falls, crimson eyes.

"What are you waiting for?!" Tommy screams, and Sapnap, Puffy and Tubbo fall out of the hole

He takes a deep breath and sings

"𝙹⍑ リ 𝙹ℸ ̣ ᓵ⍑

⎓∷𝙹ᒲ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ↸ᒷ! ¡ℸ ̣ ⍑ᓭ 𝙹⎓ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ⍊𝙹╎↸ 𝙹⎓ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᒷ リ ↸ ᔑ リ ↸ ᔑʖ𝙹⍊ᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ⍑𝙹ℸ ̣ ꖎᔑ⍊ᔑ 𝙹⎓ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ リ ᒷℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ∷

𝙹⍑ ⊣𝙹↸ᓭ ᔑ↸ᒲ╎ リ ╎ᓭℸ ̣ ∷ᔑℸ ̣ 𝙹∷ᓭ

╎ ᔑᓭꖌ || 𝙹⚍ ⎓𝙹∷ ʖꖎᒷᓭᓭ╎ リ ⊣

ℸ ̣ 𝙹! ¡ᒷ∷⎓𝙹∷ᒲ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ∷╎ℸ ̣ ⚍ᔑꖎ "

_ (Oh Notch _

_ From the depths of the void of the end and above the hot lava of the Nether _

_ Oh gods administrators _

_ I ask you for blessing _

_ To perform the ritual) _

"Don't let Dream finish the prayer!" Infected Fundy screams, voice split in two

Three people dive into the caves and Sam blocks the attack.

"ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭ⚍! ¡ᒷ∷ リ ᔑℸ ̣ ⚍∷ᔑꖎ ᓭℸ ̣ ∷ᒷ リ ⊣ℸ ̣ ⍑ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ᓵ𝙹ᒲᒷᓭ ⎓∷𝙹ᒲ ʖᒷ || 𝙹 リ ↸

ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ⎓𝙹∷ᓵᒷ 𝙹⎓ ᓵ⍑ᔑ𝙹ᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ↸ᒷᓭℸ ̣ ∷𝙹 || ᓭ || 𝙹⚍∷ ʖꖎᒷᓭᓭᒷ↸ ꖎᔑ リ ↸ᓭ

╎ リ ⎓ᒷᓵℸ ̣ ᓭ ᔑ リ ↸ ᓵ𝙹 リ ↸ᒷᒲ リ ᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ᓭᒷ∷⍊ᒷ∷

╎ ʖᒷ⊣ ⎓𝙹∷ ᒲᒷ∷ᓵ || ᔑ リ ↸ i ᔑᓭꖌ ⎓𝙹∷ ᓭℸ ̣ ∷ᒷ リ ⊣ℸ ̣ ⍑

╎ ᔑᒲ ᔑ∴ᔑ∷ᒷ 𝙹⎓ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭᔑᓵ∷╎⎓╎ᓵᒷᓭ "

_ (The supernatural strength that comes from beyond _

_ The force of chaos that destroys your blessed lands _

_ Infects and condemns that server _

_ I beg for mercy and I ask for strength _

_ I am aware of the sacrifices) _

Tubbo runs to hit Tommy and the two duel, Fundy and Quackity follow him while Sam tries to help him while trying not to die at the hands of Phil, Puffy and Punz

Techno, Bad and George focus on Dream, which begins to deviate while performing higher, running through caves and vineyards, her body screaming in euxastão.

None of them notice that they start to move

"ʖꖎ𝙹𝙹↸ ⎓𝙹∷ ʖꖎ𝙹𝙹↸

ʖꖎᒷᓭᓭ╎ リ ⊣ ⎓𝙹∷ ᓭᔑᓵ∷╎⎓╎ᓵᒷ

╎ ⊣╎⍊ᒷ || 𝙹⚍ ᔑꖎꖎ ᒲ || ᔑᓭᓭᒷℸ ̣ ᓭ ╎ リ ᒷ ̇ / ᓵ⍑ᔑ リ ⊣ᒷ ⎓𝙹∷ || 𝙹⚍∷ ℸ ̣ ᒷᒲ! ¡𝙹∷ᔑ∷ || ! ¡𝙹∴ᒷ∷ᓭ

╎ ᔑᓭꖌ || 𝙹⚍ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᒷ∷ᔑ↸╎ᓵᔑℸ ̣ ᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ! ¡ꖎᔑ⊣⚍ᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣! ¡ꖎᔑ⊣⚍ᒷᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ꖎᔑ リ ↸

╎ ᔑᓭꖌ || 𝙹⚍ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ↸ᒷᓭℸ ̣ ∷𝙹 || ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓵ∷╎ᒲᓭ𝙹 リ ʖᒷ╎ リ ⊣ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ᓭᒷᒷ! ¡ᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑∷𝙹⚍⊣⍑ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭ𝙹╎ꖎ ᔑ リ ↸ ᓵ𝙹╎ꖎᓭ ᔑ∷𝙹⚍ リ ↸ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ∷𝙹𝙹ℸ ̣ ᓭ 𝙹⎓ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ 𝙹ꖎ↸ᒷᓭℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ∷ᒷᒷᓭ

╎ ᔑᓭꖌ || 𝙹⚍ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ↸ᒷᓭℸ ̣ ∷𝙹 || ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓵ∷╎ᒲᓭ𝙹 リ ʖᒷ╎ リ ⊣ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ╎ リ ⎓╎ꖎℸ ̣ ∷ᔑℸ ̣ ᒷᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭᔑ リ ↸ ᔑ リ ↸ ╎ リ ⎓ᒷᓵℸ ̣ ᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭᒷᔑ ∴ ∴ ╎ℸ ̣ ⍑ ᒷ⍊╎ꖎ ╎ リ ℸ ̣ ᒷ リ ℸ ̣ ╎𝙹 リ ᓭ ᔑ リ ↸ ᒲᔑꖎ╎ᓵᒷ "

_ (Blood for blood _

_ Blessing for sacrifice _

_ I give you all my assets in exchange for your temporary powers _

_ I ask you to eradicate the plague that plagues this land _

_ I ask you to destroy the crimson being that seeps through the soil and coils around the roots of the oldest trees _

_ I ask you to destroy the crimson being that infiltrates the sand and infects the sea with evil intentions and malice) _

The vines twisted through the cave towards the invaders

"ᒲᔑ || ᒲ ||! ¡∷ᔑ || ᒷ∷ᓭ ʖᒷ ⍑ᒷᔑ∷↸

ᒲᔑ || ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ʖᔑᓭᒷ ʖᒷ╎ リ ⊣ ʖᒷ ∷ᒷ⍊𝙹ꖌᒷ↸ ⎓∷𝙹ᒲ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷᓭᒷ ꖎᔑ リ ↸ᓭ "

_ (May my prayers be heard _

_ May this vile being be revoked from these lands) _

Dream dives to the floor and pulls out Sam's fallen pickaxe, still trying to escape and run to the egg without his arms free, and with three people behind him.

He was really regretting his choices

"𝙹⍑ ⊣𝙹↸ᓭ ᔑ↸ᒲ╎ リ ╎ᓭℸ ̣ ∷ᔑℸ ̣ 𝙹∷ᓭ

╎ ∷ᒷᓭ╎⊣ リ ᒲ || ! ¡𝙹ᓭ╎ℸ ̣ ╎𝙹 リ ᔑᓭ ᔑ リ ᔑ↸ᒲ╎ リ ╎ᓭℸ ̣ ∷ᔑℸ ̣ 𝙹∷ "

_ (Oh gods administrators _

_ I resign my position as an administrator) _

The pick tip touched the egg and it lifted upwards

"ᔑ リ ↸ i! ¡ᔑ || ᒲ || ᓭᒷ リ ℸ ̣ ᒷ リ ᓵᒷ ∴╎ℸ ̣ ⍑ ᒲ || ꖎ╎⎓ᒷ

ᒲ || ᓭᔑᓵ∷╎⎓╎ᓵᒷ ╎ᓭ ᒲ || ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑ リ ꖌᓭ

ꖎᒷℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ↸ᒷᒲ𝙹 リ ⊣𝙹 ʖᔑᓵꖌ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ∴⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ ⍑ᒷ ᓵᔑᒲᒷ ⎓∷𝙹ᒲ "

_ (And I pay my sentence with my life _

_ My sacrifice is my thanks _

_ Let this demon go back to where he came from) _

At the same time that the pick broke a piece of the egg, three things happened

Sam and Tommy shouted, but he didn't know if they were okay

He felt two things go through his chest, a blade and a red vine, two failed attempts to help Dreamon survive.

The cave trembled around them and the vines began to sizzle, as if they were screaming.

He felt hot liquid dripping from his mouth and clothes and fatigue hit him like an anvil, pressing him to sleep. Dream did not notice dark hair tied in a bandana placing it on the stone floor. He didn't notice that the red eyes were gone. He didn't notice that his organs had been broken into and he was now just warm crimson.

He didn't notice anyone calling his name

He closed his eyes.

Sam could bring him back, it's not like he cares

Or Tommy could kill him, or... Sapnap, like he said he would

Anyway, he was fine with those options

And it's not like he has a choice anyway.


	35. Two birds on a wire (One tries to fly away)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Foolish are siblings  
> That's it, that's the one-shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Lenatie
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it
> 
> (Also I'm sorry for taking too long ;-;)

_ "Ready or not, there I go!" _

_ The child removed his hands from his face and stared at the horizon of flowers, with no sign of his companion. His footsteps broke the grass under his feet while he was looking for his older brother. _

_ He turned too late and was grabbed from the floor, laughing as he tried to break free. _

_ "I won!" the elder said, swinging the kids in his arms _

_ "Is not fair!" the younger one pouted, which was replaced by a smile when his hair was messed up _

_ "Of course it's fair! I captured you!" _

_ "Dream! Foolish!" the two boys turned their heads in the opposite direction, seeing a woman waving upwards, holding a basket _

_ "Mom!" the oldest child, Dream, released the smallest, Foolish, on the floor and the two ran towards the mother, attacking her with a hug _

_ "Did you have fun today, ducklings?" she asks and they both nod excited, she smiles _

_ "How great" she kisses their foreheads "Come on, it's getting late. Let's go home" _

* * *

"Mother..."

"Hm?" Puffy turned to face Foolish "What is it, duckling?"

"I..." he cleared his throat and smiled "I'm going for a walk, do you think you're okay to go home?"

His mother had arrived last night, in tears and anguished about the older brother's behavior, Foolish did not want to fully believe in these things that happened, but he had never been on the server, he did not know the complete story and Dream just threw the air in the air. what happened.

Now that he was under arrest, he would have to give an explanation by force.

"Don't worry about me" she smiled and kissed his forehead "I'll be fine, I need to find Bad anyway"

"Thank you. See you later" and he walks to the door, taking the bag of spare tools he had received as a gift and left

Footsteps of him automatically headed for the dark and tall building, the wood creaking under his feet and steady breathing.

* * *

_ "Let's build a treehouse!" Foolish screams, arms up _

_ "A tree house?" a smile prints Dream's face "Why?" _

_ "'Why not' is the question!" the youngest says, convinced and picking up his sword from the ground "We are going to build it on the tallest tree in the forest and we will be on top of the world!" _

_ Dream hums and lays on dry land, soiling his clothes with dust _

_ "But why so high?" he asks, trying to stimulate the younger brother's imagination, just to see how far he would go _

_ "Because we are going to protect the world from monsters" _

_ "Um... how's that going to be?" _

_ "With a window to see the forest and a flagpole" _

_ "Like a ship?" he smiles more "A ship in the trees?" _

_ "Exactly!" _

_ "That looks like fun." Dream sits down. "Do you think Mom will help?" _

_ "Sure! It will help us protect the world from monsters" _

_ "Ok... let's start then!" he laughs and jumps up _

* * *

Foolish dodges the red vineyards that twist along the main path, he goes down the stairs and around the Badlands mansion crossing the meadow until he reaches the cubicle that is the prison gatehouse.

"Hello?" he asks stupidly when he presses the intercom button

"Foolish? What are you doing here?" Sam answers from the other side

"I can enter?" he says instead

"Uh... of course, enter the portal and let me know when you're inside"

He nods, even though Sam can't see, and he lets himself be swallowed by the purple, settling on the floor when he finds a closed room.

"I entered!" he screams

"Okay, just wait a moment" There are a few minutes of silence before Sam returns "You can enter the portal"

Foolish enters the obsidian structure once more and when he leaves, Sam is behind a counter, along with levers and buttons.

"Hi Sam" he nods "I came, er... I came to visit Dream"

He just can't say 'prisoner'

"Okay..." he takes out a notebook and a pen "What is your contact with the prisoner?"

"He is my brother"

It makes Sam stop writing for a few seconds, shock passing over his face, before he starts writing again, nodding as if nothing has happened.

"Foolish, do you understand that I, Awesamdude, as director of the prison, is the highest authority while you are within Pandora's vault territory?"

"Yes sir"

"Very well" he nods again and closes his notebook, pointing to a desk in front of him "There is a document that I need you to sign, read it out loud so that I can make sure you have signed with conscience"

When this is done, Foolish signs the contract and hands it over to Sam. He guards it and turns on a lever, opening a room.

"Put all your things away and press the button, you will receive a key and need to put it in the ender chest"

* * *

_ " _ _ Do you promise to send news?" Puffy asks, a hand on his older son's cheek _

_ "Of course I am, it's not like I'm going to die, mom" he laughs lightly "Where's Foolish?" _

_ "He... he's not very happy with you leaving" she says, looking away _

_ Dream sighs _

_ "I'll talk to him" _

_ He drops his backpack on the floor and climbs the wooden stairs, crossing the corridor to the last door, closed and with a paper written "do not enter" stuck to the wood. _

_ "Foolish" he calls, knocking on the door "It's me" _

_ "Go away..." his voice is muffled and tearful _

_ "Foolish..." _

_ "You wanted to leave, then go" _

_ "This is not the way it works" he sighs "I don't want to leave with you upset" _

_ "So stay here! Is it so bad to be here with me and mommy?" _

_ "I never said it was, I want to achieve my own things, I can't stay in the same place. When you grow up you will understand" _

_ "Are you going to abandon us..." is not a question _

_ "I will not, I will write to you. I will come and visit with gifts, I know you like gifts" _

_ There are no answers, but there is the sound of footsteps on the floor and the creak of the door opening, revealing Foolish with red eyes and sniffling, in blue shark pajamas. _

_ "You promise?" _

_ "I promise" Dream smiles softly and opens his arms, the youngest buries his face in his clothes "And I'm going to pretend that you don't want me to come back just for the presents" _

_ "Shut up" Foolish replies, muffled and Dream laughs _

* * *

"Come with me" Sam says, taking Foolish out of his daydreams

The two follow the dark corridors, locks, mechanics and pistons echo from inside the walls, Foolish dies repeatedly as part of the scanning process while Sam remains silent.

When they arrive in front of the lava curtain, he stands on the gray platform, silent.

"Foolish" Sam calls him and he looks at him "I would like to say something"

"Sure"

"You are new to the server and I don't know if anyone told you what happened..."

Puffy and Tommy told him in parts, but he doesn't say

"But... I don't think Dream is the same as he was as your brother, so don't worry if you get upset"

"Ok... I guess?" he takes the advice with uncertainty and the lava finally goes down

"Follow the bridge. Be careful not to fall"

* * *

_ The letter weighed in his hands as he walked towards the light, leaving the great forest and finding the peak of the mountain. The sky was clear and he could see some towers and buildings that he did not identify, but the thing that stood out the most was the large crater and the obsidian grid extended in the sky. _

_ "You came..." the smiling mask says _

_ "You sent a letter, of course I came" Foolish replies, smiling "I'm just a little disappointed that you invited me now" _

_ "Sorry... I didn't want to involve you in this mess, but Mum appeared then..." Dream shrugs "It seemed fair to invite you too..." _

_ "Is the mess you're talking about this crater?" _

_ "Maybe..." he clicks his tongue "Look... the others will explain to you, but I came to give you this" _

_ He holds out a tool bag _

_ "These are the gifts I owed you" _

_ "WHAT?" Foolish takes the bag and opens it, netherite tools shine in the sun "Are you rich or something?!" _

_ "You could say that. Don't use them unless it's necessary or when you're alone, pretend you're starting now" Dream says "And these are also a payment" _

_ "Payment?" he frowns "What for?" _

_ "I need a favor from you, little brother" he kicks a rock "Can you take care of things while I'm gone?" _

_ "Are you leaving? Right now that I'm here?" _

_ "No... I mean..." he sighs "It's complicated... I made sacrifices for that to happen and did things I'm not proud of, I'm going to be arrested and it needs to happen" _

_ "Trapped? For what?" _

_ "The others can... explain" he shrugs "But with me locked up, someone needs to take care of everything" _

_ "Explain yourself, Dream" _

_ He snorts _

_ "A lot of things happened and I tried to keep things together, but I couldn't do it and I'm using my last resort to keep this place together. Is that enough explanation?" _

_ "No, but it is better than your previous explanations" he approaches, standing beside him to observe the landscape "When are you going to be arrested?" _

_ "In a week, or less" _

_ "Just that? What the hell did you do?" _

_ "I was a tyrant and monster, those are the two words that sum up what I did" _

_ "Is this all to bring this place together? You could have just taken your best friends and moved on" _

_ "I couldn't do this" he messes up Foolish's hair "This place was something I built to be a united and peaceful place, not to be filled with nations and wars. This is the home of many people, I don't I can give up now that the plan is almost finished, not after everything that happened" _

_ "Mom probably gave you a lecture when she heard that plan" he laughs, but Dream doesn't answer "Dream?" _

_ "Take care of mom for me, okay?" he whispers _

_ "She doesn't know?" he frowns and Dream walks away, entering the forest "Wait! Dream!" _

_ He disappeared before Foolish could reach him _

* * *

"It's good to see you again" he says, smiling and opening his arms

"We saw each other last week" he says grumpily, but accepts the hug anyway

"Mom cried about you yesterday"

"I figured..." he sighs

The cell was a cubicle with a chest, a desk, a clock and a cauldron with water, there was no sign of a bed.

"This is stupid... you don't even have a bed"

"There are some prices that we pay"

"Was it so worth it? To be arrested in exchange for the happiness of others?"

"Of course it's worth" he doesn't hesitate "When you grow up, you will understand"

"You talk like I'm still a kid"

"You will always be a child for me" Dream just smiles

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have something to say, but you probably won't like it ...
> 
> I will not abandon requests, don't worry, but they will take a little longer.  
> In addition to the fact of the school, I also want to focus a little more on personal work, which will be posted here.
> 
> I'm sorry and I hope you don't mind.
> 
> The requests are still open, okay? Just for clarification
> 
> Even if it’s not your requests, I’d still like you to have a look (or not, the choice is yours)
> 
> :)


	36. Error 500: Dream Was Taken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> è̶͓͙̼͕̮̙̞̱̟̬̫̗̭͍̹̯͌̔̋͌̊̆̉̐̒̊̾͝͠ṙ̸̢̧̨̙̲̻̱̖̪̜̹͙̲͉͚̝̓̈̂̍̓̉͠r̶͖͚̟͑͆̾̐̈́̉̽̇̎̉̋̆͋̑͘õ̵̳̜͐̈́̅̋̄̉̈́̊͆̉̿̈́͛r̴̹̓̈́͐͒̈͂̓̈́͒͂̾͋̓͝͝ ̴̡̛̪͍̦̠̺̯̓̽̉̇͛̋͐̏͠:̴̢̨̨̙̗̝̬͉̼͍̮̟͕̪͙̤̩̈́̍̍̌̿̾̓͒͛̈́͠͠)̷̰̝̬̹̱̅̌̒͗̋͛̑̔̀̓̀͒͋̾͜

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Starlockies
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy it
> 
> (I'm sorry for taking too long and I'm sorry for using Dream's real name, but it was because of the plot)

Dream has always been an anomaly.

Like a haunt inside Minecraft, he doesn't know where he came from, but he does know that he woke up here a long time ago.

In the beginning, he started out as a normal player, having a world all to himself, fulfilling his achievements and exploring, building and improving until he reached the end and killed the dragon after more than 15 deaths.

Dream celebrated, but after that, things got boring.

It didn't make sense to improve his stuff, since they were all made with the strongest materials in the game, he started killing the dragon repeatedly, until he got tired and simply decided to explore other things.

He explored the mansions in the forest and oceanic monuments, he explored temples in the jungles and spawned monsters, but he finally smiled when he explored Stronghold.

Dream stayed in the libraries for days, trying to decipher that strange language and read those old books. His hyperfixation made him fluent in that, so much so that he could recite a few books in his head.

One of those books was the coding book.

He didn't know how, but he had a basic knowledge of programming and this was proven by disassembling the communicator to discover its system. When he found the book with codes, it was as if he had found a ravine full of diamonds.

_ [DreamWasTaken changed survival mode to creative mode] _

_ [DreamWasTaken left the game] _

On a server far away, a message appeared

_ [DreamWasTaken joined the game] _

And so began Dream's journey

* * *

It was pretty obvious that Phil was completely confused.

His world was not a public server, much less a private one. It was a hardcore singleplayer world, how would anyone enter?

Phil opened the communicator and checked the list of players. There was him and a glitched name, his frown increased.

"Hello!"

"Jesus Christ!" He screamed and jumped to the side, aiming the sword at the person in front of him.

The person in front of him had a smiling mask on his face, wearing a lime green sweatshirt and dark pants.

"Hi, who are you?"

"I am the one who should ask who you are. You invaded my world"

"I wanted a company, I was bored" he replies, looking out his window "Hey, you did a very good job!"

"Uh... thanks?" Phil sighed, pinching his nose "Who are you?"

"I am Dream" he replies "I thought it appeared on the communicator"

"Yes, it appeared, but your name is crossed out in the list of players"

"What?" he opened his own communicator "Ah, man. I wish it worked, but it doesn't matter. Since I answered you, what's your name?"

"Philza, but call me Phil" he replies, putting away his sword "Why did you hack my server?"

"You see, I was bored to be alone and I decided to study more about the codes, when I left, I didn't even know I was going to stop here, but I'm happy to have a company"

The haunt turned on the communicator and entered a code.

_ [DreamWasTaken changed hardcore mode to creative mode] _

"I didn't allow codes on the list!" Phil screams and Dream levitates from the ground

"I wanted to test it since I found out" he says, amused "But don't worry, I won't hinder your survival, I just wanted to do something different"

"What kind of thing?" the elder asks, sighing

"Like... friends. It's kind of boring to be stuck alone in such a big world, you know

Phil hummed in response, still confused by the player's meddling (was he really one?)

"Well... since you're here. Do you want me to show you around?"

He couldn't see it, but deep down, he knew the visitor was smiling.

He was glad he wasn' streaming.

* * *

Dream wasn’t a bad company, to be honest.

Sure, he had an aura of chaos and disorder that almost scared Phil, but he never destroyed anything, usually in spectator mode while laughing like a kettle whenever a baby zombie came up to the older one and he panicked. For a few days, just to make things fun, he possessed chickens and they had a smiling face, as if they were wearing his mask, burning the leaves of the trees, making buildings in the middle of nowhere while Phil's chat was completely confused.

Dream chose not to introduce himself for his stream, choosing to just make them scared and confused and they would text confused messages and emotes while Phil heard the haunted laugh in his ears.

"They are thinking that you are a ghost" he says, smiling

"Oh, maybe I am..." Dream replies and Phil thinks it's just a joke.

Dream is really considering itself as a ghost.

The chat really likes Dream and a lot of them make theories about his personal life, as he never mentions anything about it and he never misses any streams.

"They're asking if you have siblings" Phil says as he explores a cave, with no physical sign of Dream

"Uh... yeah! I have. The name of one of them is Drista, she is my little sister" he replies, taking the first name that came to mind

He has no siblings, or at least he doesn't know them.

Dream is just a spectator watching Phil survive in his Hardcore world, and it doesn't take long before he feels a desire to jump between worlds, the desire to know the unknown, find more people and fill his own boredom.

It is out of stream that he says goodbye to Phil and wishes good luck, manipulating the code and disappearing as if he were never there.

* * *

It is a constant cycle, he appears on more and more servers, many thinking he is a hacker, which technically is not a lie.

Depending on his mood, he starts haunting players in their own worlds, owning chickens and other animals, all with a smiling face, burning their houses, making creepers explode at his side and replacing their normal torches with redstone torches.

In other worlds, he is a more peaceful presence, talks to the players, helps with their construction, participates in the broadcast and pretends that he is not part of the game, little by little, as more questions about his whereabouts appear, the more he makes up forged stories pretending to have a life he never had.

In addition, many people began to notice that he was appearing in many different worlds, so it wasn't long before conspiracy theories started as well.

"They are comparing you to Herobrine" says the player, Sam, or Awesamdude, as he looks at his chat.

"Who is he?" he asks, stacking a tower of random blocks to the limit that the Minecraft sky can reach

"You don’t know him?" AntFrost, a friend of Sam, asks

"Nah... I really don't care" he replies without paying attention

"There's no point in making that comparison," Puffy, another friend, replies, going over the redstone system. "Like, Dream is probably a genius hacker who knows how to hack servers."

He shrugged "You never know"

* * *

Dream is livid when he discovers the existence of public servers.

Servers created to house people and competitions, bed wars and duels are his favorites and he never gets tired. His name rises high on the leaderboards and he draws the attention of many people.

He knows more people, recognizes others, makes a name for himself and everyone thinks he is just a player, with a life out there.

It is on the servers that he meets Sapnap and George, they were played on the same team in one game. In the end, Dream became friends with the two and he can't wait to see their worlds and what other things they have to do.

It often encodes their worlds and helps them record videos. Dream doesn't understand the mechanics of it, but he finds it fun nonetheless. He also challenges them to hunt him down as he runs to finish the game.They think it's easy the first time, without even knowing that Dream has killed the dragon more than two hundred times.

During his travels by servers, he meets Badboyhalo and he finds him amusing, staying on his server. He manages to bring Bad into the world of George and Sapnap in a snap, and the four form a group.

The Dream Team, or the Muffinters, the name Bad gave.

Dream craves chaos and fun, games and company, competitions and adrenaline, because he can only live like that.

Because his friends leave, to live a life he doesn't live, that he can't live. 

Because for them it's only a few hours, for Dream it's days in there. 

Because Dream is alone and he needs to seek company to not be alone.

* * *

His great feat is to enter a private server.

They are called SMP and because they are private, they are difficult to access unless you are on the whitelist.

It turns out Dream just did that.

_ [DreamWasTaken joined the server] _

"What the fuck?" Tommy asked himself

"Hi!" someone called him and Tommy screamed, scared, turning in the direction of the caller

The smiling mask was hanging on the wall, but other than that, there was no one.

"Look, whoever is invading here is looking for war, nobody can enter my country" Tommy declared, convinced

"I'm not looking for war" the mask said and Tommy stepped back, already drawing his sword

"What the fuck?!"

_ [DreamWasTaken changed the game mode to the creative] _

Dream went through the wall and Tommy can see his entire body.

"Who the fuck are you? You weren't on the whitelist"

"I really wasn't, but I wanted to see this place" he said, looking around "Where am I?"

"SMP Earth, don't you watch the streams?"

"Not really, I don't even know how they work" he held out his hand "I'm Dream, how about you?"

"Tommy" he replied hesitantly "How did you get in here in the first place?"

"Ah it was kind of complicated, it involved codes and systems, but it's not a complex thing, you just need to have patience to unravel the codes, so it's more work than complicated. It took almost two full days and I had to find a Stronghold to find the books for me to unravel some of the lines but--" he started talking excitedly to explain someone about his reasoning, but the blond boy just interrupted him

"Ok, enough. What a bore" Tommy huffed and Dream looked annoyed, even in a mask

"Tommy!" the two face the new visitor, who is accompanied by more people "Who's that next to you?"

"This is Dream. It broke into the server"

"Hi!" He greets excitedly, waving and extending his hand to the curly-haired man "Who are you?"

"I'm the one who should be asking you that. You broke into our server" the man said, frowning

"Ah, don't mind me, I won't do anything. I just wanted company because George and Sapnap are out, Bad is still busy and I had no one to talk to"

"Still, you broke into our server, so you'll be judged whether you should stay or not" he replied and Dream realized only now that he wore glasses, he took handcuffs out of his pocket and fastened the greenish’s wrists.

"Wait... Dream?" a man in blue tunics and a bucket hat narrowed his eyes and opened them wide

"Hi Phil!" he waved to the eldest, the chain tinkled

"Do you know Phil?" Tommy asked

"Do you know Dream?!" two people asked into the crowd

"Dude, he's one of the biggest hackers out there!" one commented, but the other just rolled his eyes

"It is obvious that he is not a hacker. He is a haunt, like Herobrine"

"It doesn't exist, it's stupid"

"No person in the world will be able to access an SMP unless they are born as the code"

"It's actually pretty easy to crack the code," Dream commented, but the two ignored it, focused on the discussion.

Other people joined the discussion and the curly-haired man rolled his eyes and entered the crowd to stop the stupid discussion.

Dream managed to open the communicator and changed his mode to creative, being able to remove the handcuffs and he walked to Phil, homesick and with much news to tell his old friend.

Phil introduced him to Technoblade, who seemed to trust him by Phil's extension, Tommy, Phil and Techno basically explained how SMP Earth worked and Dream was amazed by the whole system of countries and territories, even though he didn't even know half the terms they were using.

In the end, Wilbur, the man from before, allowed him to stay, but he couldn't get involved in the main events, which didn't bother him, since he just wanted people to talk to.

He followed Phil and Techno to the Arctic, where his empire was, and they presented him with a blue cape that he thought was very beautiful.

Dream stayed with them until he decided to return to see if his friends had returned from their appointments.

_ [DreamWasTaken joined the server] _

He was greeted by a double hug from concerned people, making him laugh and the three fell on the hot grass.

"Where have you been ?! We were worried!" Sapnap complained

"Sorry! I... I was doing other things while you were gone"

"Never scare us like that again, idiot" George said and Dream smiled under the mask

"I will not" the three stood up and the pair showed him a house that they were still building

It created an idea in your head

"Hey, what do you think about creating an SMP?"

* * *

It wasn't difficult for him to convince his friends from other servers to join.

What was difficult, however, was leaving the server private. That technically was a world of survival, he just dragged Sapnap and George to that place with his skills, but that didn't mean it was a server.

It took a little while before he created everything just right, with no mistakes or anything.

He jumped all over the world and invited his friends, he allowed them to invite some other people too, since Tommy had asked to bring his two friends.

Dream now had a home and a family, even if one of them left, there would always be someone else in the place and he would not be alone.

One night, Sapnap asked him about his family and Dream just shrugged, saying they were his family.

He didn't have a family before them.

_~~ Right? ~~ _

* * *

~~_ (Warning: A 21-year-old is missing, his name is Clay Taken and his family is looking for him. He disappeared months ago while his family was away. The house had no signs of break-in, completely locked and all his things were inside, including the keys, the only sign of danger was the broken monitor screen, but the gun used was not found. Please, if you see a young man with blond hair, green eyes and freckles, call the police or the number appearing on the screen. If you're hearing this, Clay, know that your family is looking for you) _ ~~


	37. It's not a chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *I put others*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are probably hating me now.
> 
> (I forgot to put two. I'm stupid, sorry)
> 
> :)

Ok, ok  
I know you were probably excited when you saw a notification that I updated and are now frustrated because this is not a chapter.

I'm sorry about that

Let's get down to business so I don't waste your time.

I thought about five potential plots that I could do but I don't know if I could do them all, so I'll start with just one first.

**Crimson Lies:**  
The egg takes the server and almost everyone is controlled by it. Dream is still in prison and Nightmare proposes a deal, they will kill the egg, but for that they will need to share the same body.

It is up to Dream and Tommy to destroy the blood vines to free the server.

**The way to The End** _(Probably I'll change the title_ ):

Dream being a demigod of the End and is being hunted due to its divine powers and his wings

Everyone is a hunter here

**Eyes of the End and Purple Flames** _(Probably I'll change the title)_ :  
Dream is an Ender Guardian (a mixture of enderman and dragon Ender, but humanoid) pretending to be a human, most Dream SMP are hunters and they work for the South Star kingdom.

On an expedition, they find a wilted forest and an Egg of the End, which hatches and is born Ranboo (a child, and a descendant of the Enders). He is taken to the castle and the king holds him in a glass box, saying that he is dangerous and should not be taken away.  
During the night, Ranboo is "kidnapped" and everyone goes after the "thief" and they find Dream with Ranboo.

Dream and Ranboo flee (I won't tell the reason) and the hunters start hunting them, having to face that his friend is not who he seems to be.

_(No title yet)_ :  
Dream is a Rogue and a killer, but what happened was not his fault. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He has a price on his head and there are hunters (everyone in the SMP but Dream) going after the money, each forming a small group and starting a race to see who would catch Dream first.

What are your opinions about these and which one do you prefer?

Thanks for understanding  
:)

_(Ps: I'm writing the prompts, don't worry)_


	38. It's not a chapter²

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi again!  
> I'm really sorry, but I had two other ideas and I want to leave them for vote.
> 
> :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's confusing, again I'm sorry

_*New One* _

_(No title yet²):_

Dream, Ranboo and Tubbo are enderman hybrids siblings

They are trying to go home (The End) but they are being hunted

_ *New One* _

**Running through the veins** _(Probably I'll change the title)_ :  
Magic is prohibited by law and the penalty is death. There are hunters trained to hunt users of magic and take them to death in public execution.

The reason? The king of the capital said that they are dangerous, that is reason enough to destroy it.

Magical societies disappeared years after the war, but hunters are still active, being ordered to kill people accused of witchcraft.

Dream is a renegade of the clan himself, destroyed a long time ago, and a sought after magic user, there are more than twenty people after his blood, accusing him of things he never did.

But no one believes in freaks, no matter how much they beg.


	39. When I don't remember you part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @Oragongirl

When the rain stopped falling, they decided to go back to the house and Dream decided to go with them.

The trip was almost in total silence, many still a little shaken by the current situation of the friend and others out of respect, but the three ghosts (Dream could be called that?) Talked animatedly above them.

Ghostbur told stories about what he remembers, talked about his death repeatedly and kept calling Fundy a little champion, which Dream found adorable.

"Wait, so Phil is your father, Fundy is your son, Tommy and Techno are your brothers?" Dream asks and whistles "This is a very big family. It must be nice to have a family"

"Yeah, really" Ghostbur smiles "Oh, did you know that Phil stabbed me?"

"You already said that, Ghostbur, you're probably scaring him" Glatt says, inspecting the drink bottle in his hands

"Ah, I don't care. I just think it's a bit of a sad way to die"

"To die in a sad way is to have a heart attack" Glatt commented, turning the bottle down to find it empty

No one was comfortable when the three started arguing about ways to die, but perhaps morbidity is common among ghosts.

The living were silent for the entire trip.

When they arrived, Dream marveled at the buildings, asking many questions about them as if he had never seen them before, which hurt them slightly. Ghostbur started to explain about the stories about L'manburg's giant crater and what happened that day, while everyone stayed behind watching the two ghosts walk away inside the SMP.

"He... he really doesn't remember..." Tubbo scratches his eyes hard and Tommy puts a hand on his shoulder

Everyone looks bleak

"What do we do to get him back?" Puffy turns to Fundy

He crosses his arms and bites his lips in silence, he snaps his tongue after a few minutes and looks away to the floor "There's a problem"

"What? What problem?" Techno question

"Well... we don't know if we can put it back"

The silence is deafening for a few seconds before everyone starts screaming, confused.

"What do you mean?!"

"You were studying these things!"

"Dream can't be a ghost forever!"

"There's nothing to do" Tubbo says and everyone turns to face him, he has his face hidden in Tommy's shirt and they can see that he is shaking "You saw his body before. When that bastard left of Dream's body, he died and it's been months since this happened, his body is already decomposed and even if he wasn't, he had those strange things with him, that could make something bad happen to Dream if he came back "

"There must be some way!" Sapnap says, desperate and Quackity puts a hand on his shoulder "We can't do nothing. Dream can't be a ghost"

"Do you think I want to declare my brother dead?" Tubbo turns to face them, his eyes red and watery "I wish there was, but there's no way, we arrived too late and Dream is now a ghost forever"

"It's not necessarily too late" Phil says "We can make him remember us. The difference is that he will be a ghost, but we will have Dream back if he remembers. He knows the names of those from before the exorcism, even though technically he doesn't know us. We can make him remember by telling him things or reliving moments, and there are also the memory spells that hunters were studying, right? "

"We can try" Fundy replies "But, let's first try the classic way, without spells, I prefer not to make the same mistake of blocking the memories permanently or something worse"

"Wait, where is he going to stay?" Niki asks "His house is a long way from the server and staying here must be better to help with memory activation. Where did he stay, George and Sapnap?"

"We don't know..." George sighs, looking embarrassed "We didn't even know he had a house. I dare say he was wandering around"

"He never got a good night's sleep and I never knew why" Sapnap mumbles

"Dreamons cause night terrors for the hosts, so they feel more tired and it is easier to take control" Fundy explains and they feel sorry that Dream probably never slept well before being expelled from his body

"He can stay with me" Puffy offers

"It's a good idea. Don't worry, he'll remember" Phil smiles at everyone

They disperse to rest from the trip, all going to their own homes while George and Sapnap went to look for Dream and Ghostbur.

"Puffy..." the hybrid turns to face Tubbo "Can I ask you something?"

* * *

For a long time, Dream remained a ghost with no memories.

He knew their names and who they were, but he treated them as if they were strangers who brought him out of solitude, not as if they were longtime friends, and he did not remember creating the server and any event.

It was as if he were the same before the exorcism, being playful, caring and childlike, laughing like a kettle and smiling. He didn't remember them either, but at the same time, it was as if deep down, a part of him was still the Dream who knew them. He knew Tubbo liked bees, he knew what Niki and Puffy's favorite flowers were, he knew things Sam had taught him about circuits and redstone, he knew about Sapnap's secrets or how to wake up George, he knew Punz's fears, he knew Tommy's favorite expletives, he knew the muffin recipes that Bad made, he knew how to animate Techno, he knew how to read the emotional language of almost all of them.

And when they asked how he knew all this, he smiled and shrugged.

"I don't know, I just knew" Dream said "It's like a deja vú"

Dream was sheltered in Puffy's house and, as per his own request, Tubbo was sheltered in the mushroom house with his brother. Puffy didn't really care, in fact, she was happy that Tubbo decided to be close to Dream, so they could be a correct family when it all worked out, she and her duckling and a bee.

Ghostbur and Glatt, more Ghostbur than Glatt, were excited about another ghost companion and they could be seen walking around with Friend and looking for someone to scare.

The muffinters + Ant could be seen in the depths of the forest, trying to relive memories of the old days before this mess and playing Manhunt, but who was hunted was Sapnap and not Dream, it was still fun in the same way and the ghost loved the game, other people participated, but in general it was always those five.

Dream, and sometimes Tubbo, kept company for Tommy, with Tommy building things and Dream just helped. The younger blond was adapting well to Dream, probably what helped was the lack of the smiling mask and because the older blond looked more warm than dangerous.

Dream helped Niki in the bakery and flower shop with Puffy, he was laughing and following their instructions during the recipes and Puffy realized that he was still her duckling, even out of reach, he was very close and it made her smile.

Tubbo and Fundy continued to study spells and Dream also helped, reading books as well and sometimes bringing snacks for both of them. The two hunters were surprised when Dream said he knew a lot about those spells and legends written in the books, he just didn't know why he knew it. Fundy also realized how much Dream's visits had positively affected Tubbo.

Dream also took some time out of his day to visit Phil, he had liked the older one when he suggested that he go with them to the server. He also enjoyed spending time with Techno, even though it was him in silence and Dream rambling about anything, the piglin didn't seem to care. He also liked Ranboo and his cats, Dream liked cats.

After a few months, Fundy and Tubbo were finally ready to try the memory recovery spell, so everyone was gathered in the open field near the Badlands mansion, since that was the only place that could fit all of them together.

"Are you okay, Dream?" Fundy asks, the book already open on the page

"Sure! If it's to help, I'll help as much as I can" he replies smiling

"Right... is the circle ready, Tubbo?"

"Yea!" the boy gives a thumbs up and gets up, stopping beside his hunter

"Alright, come on"

The hybrid reaches out and begins to read the spells, all completely focused on this bubble they created that don't even notice a movement behind Dream until it's too late.

Fundy screamed when the flaming arrow hit the book and he dropped it on the floor, the pages burning and atrophying, making smoke.

"Ah, that sucks, huh?" all the angry and confused eyes looked at the person behind Dream and nausea took over them

It is his body, without a mask, one totally dark eye staring at them, the other eye is missing and there is a crack in his cheek, where they can see inside his mouth. There are dark marks that rise from your neck to your face like webs that stick out on dead skin. His sweatshirt is tattered and torn, where they can see his open stomach, he has no organs, just bones. His hands and arms seem to have been plunged into emptiness, his pants are torn and his right leg is bent at an abnormal angle.

"What the fuck is that?!" Tommy screams

Hunters' eyes are focused on the book burned in the grass.

"Dream..." Techno calls the ghost, who looks completely bewildered "Stay behind us"

The ghost nods, ready to walk away, but his arm is gripped tightly and he shudders.

"Let's do it differently" Nightmare says, smiling

Everyone draws their weapons, gritting their teeth.

"We thought you died, you bastard son of a bitch" Quackity says

The devil laughs cruelly

"I just avoided unnecessary conflict, but I can't let it go" the grip in Dream's arm tightens

Tubbo narrows his eyes and he can see strange marks beginning to grow.

He won't lose his brother again

"Fundy..." the hybrid looks away from him, his eyes focused on the communicator "How many minutes until you find the bracelets?"

"I..." he seems to think before answering "Ten minutes"

"Take the bracelets and book, we will kill him" he whispers and fixes his hunter's hat, drawing his sword while walking a few steps forward

Fundy disappears when he tosses a pearl away

"Tubbo, stay with the others, this is dangerous" Dream says worried and still confused about the situation, but the tightness starts to burn his skin, even though he doesn't feel pain

"Ah, the little hunter, I can say I'm not happy to see you" Nightmare comments

"So the feeling is mutual" Tubbo responds coldly "Nightmare, we may have failed before, but today it will be different"

"Ha! If even in an exorcism you were worthless, what guarantees that you will fail again?"

"The fact that there are more people to take you down, purple boy" Tommy says, standing next to Tubbo, the crossbow in his hands

"You..." he glares at Tommy, enraged "I should have gotten rid of you long before"

"Threaten him once more and your fate is going to be worse than death, Nightmare" Sam says, while he, Techno and Phil stay behind the teenagers

"How lovely..." Dreamon says sarcastically "What's the plan? Send me to hell?"

Dream's arm starts to go gray and Sapnap moves forward to stay close to the boys, Bad and George not far behind.

"No" Tubbo answers “We are changing the rules"

He hears more footsteps approaching, forming a front line

"We are not going to throw any shots away. You, Nightmare, Dreamon, are going to die today and with no escape and no chance of returning"

"I doubt you can do that with a dead body" he smiles and Tubbo smiles too, but it's threatening

"Strike hard, no matter if the body looks like Dream. We are not failing here" he says to his friends

They all nod and the first shot towards the deceased's head is a clear sign.

They won’t hold back.

They have less than 8 minutes to hold and distract him until Fundy secures him with gold.

Two pearls fall behind the demon and two swords cross the air. Nightmare pulls back, still holding Dream by the arm as he tries to break free.

Sapnap comes running, brandishing his own weapon, and Ant and Bad come around.

"Tommy, cover me" Tubbo warns and Tommy nods, even though confused. The brunette bends down on the floor and pulls a cracked stone from his pocket

Niki is at considerable distance, shooting arrows in the direction of Dreamon while Punz turns the ax, Eret and Quackity focus on trying to catch him, Techno is preparing a firework, George is the second archer.

Nightmare, unfortunately, came prepared, using Dream's old axe, Nightmare, because his body was dead and decomposed, he couldn’t feel real pain, but it was the only way to delay it.

He dodges attacks with abnormal speed and flexibility, sometimes placing Dream's ghost in front of him to make his enemies hesitate. He strikes with force and malice, ready to take their canonical lives.

Tubbo leaned the stone against the blade of the sword and streaked it, making a spark and a horrible sound that made everyone shiver.

Dreamon screamed at the loud sound, moving his hands to his ears and Dream saw the perfect time to step back and watch his arm.

Less than 5 minutes, Tubbo remembers as he scratches the blade again.

The demon screams and his “good” eye turns towards the hunter.

"You! You little shit!" He growls, animalistic and advances towards them, with Tommy standing in front of Tubbo, sword in hands

A shot is heard and smoke fills the field of view, colored sparks explode in the air and the impact caused Dream's body to fall to the ground, a part of his shoulder completely open in rotting flesh

"Hold him!" Tubbo screams.

Ranboo appears in purple dust on top of the writhing body and Puffy presses the popped head against the grass. Quackity gasps as he holds his legs, pressing his knees against the floor as well. Tommy takes the sword blade to the back of Nightmare's neck while Niki and George surround with pointed bows and everyone else approaches, slightly out of breath and without serious injuries, just scratches and dirt.

"What do we do now, Tubs?"

"We hope Fundy comes back with the handcuffs" he replies, with a mocking tone directed at the demon and he smiles when the desired effect is achieved

They both know what handcuffs he's talking about.

"This is not going to work" he says, voice trembling

"You know it's a lie" he gets up, brushing off his dark cyan uniform

"Dream, are you okay?" Sapnap calls the ghost, who nods, approaching the crowd and avoiding looking at Dreamon

"Don't worry about me" he smiles "It was nothing serious, just a burn"

"Burns are serious, you muffinhead!" Bad scolds

"Not for ghosts" he shrugs "We just need to make sure there is no demonic interference"

Fundy appears, panting, and he pulls Nightmare's thin wrists, which tries to squirm more, the weight on him making him unable to try anything else.

The gold bracelets tie Dreamon to the corpse and the hybrid gets up, throwing a rope at Punz.

"Let's tie him up, we'll need everyone to do that"

The knot is tight enough to suffocate a living person, but they don't feel that merciful, and Nightmare doesn't have to breathe, so no worries.

"Okay" Tubbo closes Fundy's book and raises his sword, eyes cold and expressionless "All ready?"

Everyone raises the sword and Dreamon begins to plead too quickly to be understood. He looks desperate.

~~_Good_ ~~

"We, Dreamon hunters, expelled this Dreamon from the world above and shed its cursed blood" he declares, his voice dark

The wind seems to increase slightly

"1..."

"2..."

"3!"

The swords went down at the same time and went through the demon's back, he screamed in agony and black liquid started to spill on the grass.

They were silent.

"What do we do now? Did he... did he die?" Ranboo asks

"We can stab him again. Just in case" George says and they do it again

And other

And other

And other

"Uh... guys?"

Again

Again

And again

And one more time

"OK!" Dream says, hands on Tubbo and Sapnap's shoulders, making them and everyone else stop "I think after that he is dead forever"

Dream shudders when he sees the big puddle of black liquid rinsing his friends' boots.

Definitely dead

He feels Sapnap hang on his shoulder, his hair tickling his collarbone and Tubbo sighing, dropping almost all of his weight onto the ghost's chest.

"Collective hug can be a good one" he mumbles and smiles "We can try the spell later"

It is as if killing Nightmare had lifted a weight off their backs, tiredness almost knocked out their bodies.

They could do this later.

Dream's offer seemed to be far more appealing than it should have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok!  
> Crimson Lies and Eyes of end and purple flames' votes ended in a tie
> 
> Crimson Lies: 12  
> Eyes of end and purple flames: 12  
> No title²: 9  
> Running Through the Veins: 6  
> The way to the end: 5  
> No title: 3


	40. :) (I'm sorry, again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a chapter (I'm a disappointment, I know)

An announcement and a question

I created Eyes of End and Purple Flames!  
It already has two chapters and the name has changed to Ender Blood

This is the announcement.  
Give it a try, but it's your choice :)

Now the question  
Do you prefer that I do a job compiling only oneshots that I created and that will not be carried forward (I think) or that I post a separate work for each one of them, as I do now?  
Thank you for all your support!

:D


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